Dáil debates

Friday, 8 November 2013

Health (Fluoridation of Water Supplies) (Repeal) Bill 2013: Second Stage [Private Members]

 

11:20 am

Photo of Peter MathewsPeter Mathews (Dublin South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

This raises the ethical question of forcing the ingestion of substances. It is a useful debate. This Friday has been enlightening.

There are old habits that are easy to follow. I understand the Minister of State gets all the information and he has done his homework, and he is presenting it honestly and openly. However, Deputy Stanley is also making use of the preliminary work done by previous Dáil Members to advance the process. We are not trying to jostle in the queue for the press release or the television camera. That is not the business. We are here to serve as best we can and bring our knowledge, our skills and our insights to organise how citizens receive the things that public enterprises, the Civil Service and the semi-state bodies deliver to them.

One of the good outcomes of this debate could be that we take a fresh look at things and get an update on the position. Let us not just do the surface dentistry, to use the metaphor, but also a little root-canal work - a little odontology.

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