Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE) | Oireachtas source

I raise a particular issue related to the health of those who live in the shadow of the Aughinish Alumina plant in Limerick. It dates back to 1989 when animals began dying on farms in the area, after which there were increased incidences of serious human health problems, including increased rates of fatal foetal abnormalities, cancer, upper respiratory tract issues, eye inflammation and so on. Later, there was an investigation into this involving the Environmental Protection Agency, Teagasc, the Department of agriculture and others.

Later on, there was an investigation into this involving the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, Teagasc, the Department of agriculture and others. The crucial problem in that investigation was that the human blood samples went missing, which meant that the investigation was not really able to be comprehensive and independent.

In 2018, while the Taoiseach was the Minister for Health, he was given a 26-page dossier by the former Deputy, Dr. Harty, who was a representative of the area, as well as by Deputies Connolly and Catherine Murphy. They asked him to appoint an independent health expert, as he did for the cervical cancer scandal, to investigate the dossier outside his Department because new information was contained within. As I understand it - and the Taoiseach may not remember this, which is fine - the Taoiseach refused to have any independent view of it. Instead, he simply went back and said that there was nothing new there, etc. I am asking the Taoiseach to look at this dossier again, which I can send to him, and agree that there will be an independent investigation.

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