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

I thank the Minister of State for the reply. I do not doubt the presence of plenty of paper safeguards, regulations and rules that can be quoted, many of which have been mentioned by the Minister of State. Unfortunately, as it happens in this case, those rules and regulations are not being followed or at least that is the concern. In this case, radioactive material is not being labelled or disposed of correctly and the individual charged with its supervision on behalf of the State agency is an employee of the organisation being investigated. These are serious issues and it also is a public health issue. While I do not believe this practice to be widespread, if it were it would be an extremely serious public health issue. However, it is a matter of concern. If the Minister has no statutory function, I will take up the matter directly with the EPA to ascertain whether a better response can be elicited.

As I noted, the whistleblowers legislation will be an important step for other individuals who might come across similar cases. It will be too late for this individual however, as I do not expect such legislation to be made retrospective. Unfortunately for the individual in question, because he was standing up for his own health and that of others, he is in a position whereby he has lost his job.

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