Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

This matter is self-explanatory. It is a sensitive case. It involves about 4,500 families and workers and their safety. It has been reported in the press this week that unfortunately there was another incident in the Stryker factory in Carrigtwohill. Unfortunately, One gentleman is on life support as we speak.

I am not raising this for kudos or anything of that nature. This matter dates back to 2020, when I received a protected disclosure. It was a very large protected disclosure. I forwarded it to the Health and Safety Authority, HSA, and brought it to the attention of the then Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Varadkar. I received a reply in December 2021 to the effect that the HSA had assured the then Tánaiste that all the matters were being dealt with. That was not the case, unfortunately, and whistleblowers kept coming forward. It is ironic that we are talking about protected disclosures when Deputy Mairéad Farrell and I worked on a protected disclosure with the Minister, Deputy Michael McGrath, in order to get it over the line.

The HSA has not done its job properly. Health and safety in this area was mentioned as long ago as 19 March 2022 in a motion adopted by Cork City Council. The latter raised the concerns relating to this issue. The matter went to the Labour Court before that in the context of recognition of the union in order that it could deal with issues of health and safety. That was as long ago as 11 October 2019.

There was an incident on 23 May 2019, 25 May 2019, 26 May 2019, 9 July 2019 and 18 July 2019. On 26 August, four people got violently sick in the cleaning rooms. On 3 September 2019 there was another incident. On 2 October 2019 there was another incident. On 2 November 2019 there was another incident. On 10 January 2020 there was another incident. On 17 January 2020 there was another incident. On 6 March 2020 there was another incident.

As I said already, I commend the whistleblowers for coming forward. This was a major concern for health and safety. I, like every other public representative in this House, am duty-bound when I get those protected disclosures to bring them forward. There was a very unfortunate incident at the start of this week and I am conscious of it. I am by no means anti-jobs or anything, but my heart and stomach sank when I heard of that accident, knowing that all this information was with the HSA and the Department. Obviously, these things were not carried out.

We are dealing here with titanium dust and titanium fires. I went to the county fire service, which does not have the capability to put out these titanium fires. There is a myriad of misinformation. The company rejects everything in the protected disclosures, but the evidence is there in the protected disclosures. I followed it up with the HSA in September 2021, which on behalf of the chief executive confirmed to me that everything was kosher. I returned to him to say I had 60 more complaints. It is not being done. I followed up again with a parliamentary question on 22 February. I did get a response, which stated:

The Health and Safety Authority does not comment on the content or nature of disclosures received and carries out its obligations under the Protected Disclosures Act independently of the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment.

I am calling for a proper, intense, full safety review of the HSA going back from 2019 to the present day, because too many people have been affected by this. Jobs are possibly at risk, but there is also a fear that people will lose their lives.

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