David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I formally second the amendment. It is an important matter of public health. I do not think it is a party or partisan matter and I do not expect the Minister to accept this. As I said last week, the Government is not going to accept any amendment. That is blindingly obvious. It is not going to bring the Dáil back at this stage, so we can forget it. No amendments will be accepted - that is it, done and dusted.

With regard to fluoride, I used my Private Members' time to address this issue, and I think it was during this session. I unearthed a suppressed report by the former Cabinet Minister, John Gormley. The Government managed to suppress his report on fluoride. It contained quite astonishing stuff. I got the last surviving copy of it. It was very detailed and covered a great deal of scientific evidence. The scientific evidence is balanced, in a way. It is quite difficult to come down very clearly on one side or another. There is a lot of "Elvis was caught having dinner with the aliens" sort of nonsense about it, with claims that it causes everything from nipples to nappy rash and God knows what. It is a load of rubbish. I do not believe it has all these unquantified medical impacts, but at the heart of it there is a matter of principle, which is whether citizens should be dosed against their wishes. It is like the Victorian grandparents, and I remember mine, who said, "We are doing this for your own good," but citizens have rights. If fluoride is going to be shoved into the supply, about which there are questions, then what else are they going to shove into it against our wishes? There is a question of the choice people have with regard to what they consume because, as we all know, we have to consume water, and there is a high fluoride content in bottled water as well. I strongly support this amendment but I do not believe there is the slightest chance of it being accepted. By the way, I was accused of being one of the ones who was ranting on the other night, and I would like the House to know that I did not do so. On this occasion I would like the Members to know that I will speak once on each amendment and stick clearly to facts. I am not going on; I am not filibustering; I am just saying what I think.