Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)

I repeat the Minister is incorrect. EirGrid stated publicly to the planning authority that the magnetic field would only be static. The company now admits that it has a time-varying component. EirGrid has not denied that. The company stated that such is the case but that the impact of it is insignificant.

The Minister is inaccurate. I ask him to go back and look at his notes. There are serious health concerns which have been highlighted by Dr. Anthony Staines. These include the risk of childhood leukemia, which Dr. Staines states has not been taken into account in these studies.

As a public body, EirGrid is accountable to the Minister. He can call the company in, look at this evidence again and seek EirGrid to go through a proper planning process where this information is brought in to the public domain. I insist that the Minister would do that.

See this speech in context