Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Anti-Austerity Alliance) | Oireachtas source

The issue here is serious concerns regarding health and safety at the repair and maintenance workshops at the Air Corps headquarters at Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel.

One of the issues here is the breaking of the law. The law states that there must be occupational health surveillance in a circumstance such as this where one is dealing with dangerous chemicals. That is according to the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, which replaced an old piece of legislation dating back to 1989. There is mandatory screening required under that law.

The Department - the Minister of State, Deputy Kehoe, is a Minister responsible - and the Taoiseach are responsible here. The former American President, the late Harry Truman, had a sign on his desk stating, "The buck stops here." The buck stops with the Minister of State, Deputy Kehoe, and the Taoiseach. The Taoiseach is head of the Government and head of the Department, in which Deputy Kehoe is a Minister. What says the Minister of State to the facts that the law has been flouted here?

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