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

The Minister of State said he takes disclosures very seriously. Why is it that more than a year after the complaints were made by the whistleblowers, direct contact has not been made with them regarding the issues they raised with the Minister? The Minister of State said that on 20 December, the Air Corps wrote to the HSA outlining its proposed improvement plan and indicating that it is fully committed to implementing improved safety measures. It is more than a month since then. Are protective gloves in use now and is there protection for the workers' eyes? Are respirators fully available? Last, but not least, many observers of this case would say there has been a certain high-handedness about it, particularly as regards health and safety and in view of the delays that have occurred. Will the Minister of State comment on that charge of high-handedness? It appears to be not untypical of the way rank and file men and women in the Defence Forces are treated over a range of issues at present.

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