Lisa Chambers (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State seems somehow to be suggesting that his inaction is to serve the interests of those affected. It is a little bit like Groundhog Day with this issue. We continue to ask the questions and we continue to get the same stock response. This issue was the subject of many parliamentary questions last year. It is not going to go away. It will be the subject of many parliamentary questions again this year until we start to see action.

Claims of a deliberate cover-up, victimisation of whistleblowers, a half-hearted attitude towards health and safety in the Air Corps. It is 2018 and we need an inquiry into whether technicians in the Air Corps developed cancer, neurological disorders and other chronic conditions as a result of exposure to toxic chemicals during their employment. We know from listening to the many accounts from those who are still alive and with us today that the difficulties they are facing in terms of their health and well-being cannot be put down to coincidence. Six legal actions are currently in train and my understanding is that two of those individuals have been diagnosed with cancer. In three cases, former Air Corps workers have been told they are suffering from organic encephalopathy, brain disorders due to chronic high-dose exposure to organic solvents. It is no coincidence; this is directly related to their employment.

This is not the first time I have raised this but I will continue to do so. We need a medical review of all those potentially affected to assess whether their conditions and health issues are directly related to their employment by the State. We must then put together a health care package for the individuals concerned. Will the Minister of State commit to doing that this year?

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