Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his response. We need assurances that something will be done in respect of the firm of consultants that gave an undertaking that LE Ciaraand LE Orlawere asbestos-free. One cannot engage and pay consultants substantial fees only to find that their advice is fundamentally wrong. There is also an issue in respect of the Naval Service. I am informed - I will be corrected if I am wrong - that the plans for the ships show quite clearly that asbestos was present in the locations where it was found.

The Minister stated that there are no health implications at present and that there are no obvious symptoms. There would not be. Short-term exposure to asbestos when the material is dormant is not likely to cause problems. The problem here is that the material was disturbed and broken and presumably dust was released, which may have been inhaled. Risks arise when the material is so disturbed. I am concerned, and I believe the Permanent Defence Force Other Ranks Representative Association, PDFORRA, has expressed its concern to the Department of Defence and the Minister. The very least we expect now is that all the personnel who have been needlessly exposed to this risk due to the incompetence of the consultants engaged to deal with this and to a level of incompetence on the part of the Naval Service and the Department of Defence, will be assured of ongoing health surveillance to ensure that no problems arise down the line.

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