Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle's office for choosing this topic. With no disrespect to the Minister of State, Deputy Cannon, it is a pity that the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government is not here. This arises all too often. This issue was recently brought to my attention and it has raised several unsettling facts. Coincidentally, this week has seen the welcome publication of the Protected Disclosures Bill 2013, a Bill which will protect whistleblowers who courageously speak out about wrongdoing, malpractice or carelessness. Regrettably, the Bill comes too late for the person who has raised the issue, as I will outline presently.

While absolute privilege is available to me and other Members of the Oireachtas, for obvious reasons, I have no wish to engage in any sort of kangaroo court by naming individuals who are not here to defend themselves. Everyone is entitled to their good name and should be able to defend it. However, the person who approached me has lost his job at a health facility merely because he raised concerns that proper and safe procedures were not being followed in respect of the disposal of hazardous medical waste. I emphasise that safety is at the core of this issue, in particular the safety of patients, workers and the public.

As we all know, some hospital waste is hazardous and, unfortunately, there have been times in this country when such waste was not properly disposed of. Sensibly, there are procedures in place which are to be followed to protect the safety of all concerned. For example, any procedure which involves radiation must be registered with the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland. Hazardous waste must always be correctly labelled in order that waste disposal staff can take active steps.

In addition, the radioactive hazardous waste must be both correctly labelled and stored in a special lead-lined room. Such waste must also be transported safely, with much material of this type being exported for safe disposal. Furthermore, out of responsibility and duty, relevant persons regularly are appointed to ensure procedures are followed correctly.

I am certain that to any reasonably-minded person, it would make complete sense that a person tasked with investigating shortcomings or a complaint would not be connected in any way to the individual or organisation under investigation. This clearly is for reasons of independence, impartiality and transparency. I regret to note that the case which has been brought to my attention does not have these vital hallmarks. It appears as though the person tasked by the independent State agency with investigating the complaint against the organisation in question is actually an employee of that organisation, which constitutes a clear conflict of interest. Adherence to rules and regulations that are put in place for sensible safety reasons, not pedantic ones, frequently depends on the observance by relevant persons and the assurance that unacceptable, unethical and on sound behaviour will be reported and identified. It takes courage and commitment to speak out in the full knowledge of the consequences and ramifications of one's actions. The individual in question no longer works for the facility. However, remaining staff have the same concerns and are concerned about public health issues in respect of whether practices are continuing. I look forward to the Minister of State's reply and will speak further thereafter.

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