David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I formally second the amendment. I agree with the last speaker. It is not the intention of the amendment that we have a debate on whether fluoride should be in water, and it is not what we should be debating. There is a great deal more work to be done here today. However, listening to the Government Senators over the past half hour on this and the previous amendments, I am beginning to wonder what function this forum will have at all and what it will discuss. They have spent the last half hour telling us what it will not be discussing. I would have considered something as important as the fluoride issue to be exactly the type of issue this public forum should discuss. Saying that these are the responsibilities of the HSE and so forth is no use. One could make that argument about any function this forum will discuss and say it is the responsibility of another body, be it the HSE, Irish Water or whatever.

I will return to this matter when discussing the section, but perhaps at some point the Minister will explain what this forum will actually discuss. In broad terms, there is reference to comments and suggestions about the performance of Irish Water, but we have not heard anything specific. The amendments we have tabled would give it some teeth and real issues to discuss, fluoride being one of them. I will not discuss the merits or demerits of the issue other than state that this is the perfect body to take on this issue at last and make recommendations to the Government.