Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It was concerning to read these accounts in the media at the end of last month. They referred to a number of inspections by the HSA on meat factories that had not been released to the public at the time. The reports were damning - face-coverings not being used, the potential for cross-contamination, the minimal level of acceptable personal protective equipment, PPE, being in place, staff working at close quarters, and inadequate health and safety signage being in place. These concerns were all voiced by us at a time when cases started emerging in meat factories. Can the Minister indicate whether the inspections in question took place in the early days of the Covid crisis, at the height of the crisis or later? Given the poor working conditions does it mean that the Department and the HSA did not act early enough to ensure that the protective measures had been put in place? How were these conditions allowed to emerge at these facilities? Can the Minister tell the public how a decision was made not to release them and why was the Right To Know group offered the redacted versions of the reports and not the full versions?

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