Lisa Chambers (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State has said he was constrained by litigation that was ongoing, but this issue is all over the Irish Examinernewspaper. Mr. Joe Logue reports on it on a regular basis and we all know what has been going on. We may as well discuss it in this House where it is appropriate to do so. I accept that the Minister of State has said he is complying fully with the protected disclosures legislation, but, on a human level, the issue concerns an individual whom both he and I have met and who is very ill. However, he is not the only person who is ill. Many others have been affected, some of whom are now deceased. The allegations made against the State are very serious. They are that it caused them to become ill owing to the lack of health and safety standards and exposure to dangerous and hazardous chemicals, from which they were not protected. The very fact that somebody is ill because of the place in which they work and that they are now being dismissed from their employment by their employer - the State - because of that illness is utterly and morally wrong. The Minister of State said that he will take whatever actions are open to him. What actions are open to him? What about conducting a health review? Why is he not reviewing the health of the people concerned to identify who has been affected? Why wait for a very lengthy litigation process to conclude before acting? The Minister of State has the ability to do so now. I believe he is not doing enough on the issue which we will continue to raise in the House.

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