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

Can the Minister confirm the number of Navy vessels that are tied up as a result of this difficulty? Will he further confirm that consultants were engaged previously by the Naval Service to assess the fleet and that the consultancy found that asbestos was not a problem aboard these vessels? The Minister tells us there has been screening of those who potentially may have been exposed to the asbestos, asbestos dust being the major difficulty. What arrangements has his Department put in place to ensure there is ongoing screening of people so exposed because there is a risk for people exposed to asbestos that they will develop pleural plaques? As we know, that can lead to the development of asbestosis, which is a particularly nasty condition to say the least.

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