Niall Ó Brolcháin (Green Party)

The matter of environmental health is multifaceted. Radon affects many people all over the country. Around 200 people die every year because of it, which is not good enough. New building regulations have been brought forward, as a result of which many new houses have barriers against radon. In spite of this, a report today shows that in a house in Sligo the level of this radioactive gas was 20 times the acceptable level. We need to put much effort into tackling this issue. I do not think a Minister can solve problems dating back one century with the wave of a wand, but we need an urgent debate on the issue in the Seanad. We should not focus on the banks only. The health of the people is a very important issue.