Keith Swanick (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

According to the HSE, on average at least six people die accidentally from carbon monoxide poisoning each year. Everyone in this House will be aware that last week was Carbon Monoxide Awareness week. The reason I raise this matter today is that this is a preventable issue. The risk of carbon monoxide poisoning is something that we should be aware of 365 days a year and not just for one week. The campaign was a timely reminder to us all of the importance of increased awareness of carbon monoxide. Due to the fact that it is a colourless and odourless gas it is highly dangerous. Every year people die unnecessarily from carbon monoxide poisoning in this country while many more people attend accident and emergency departments and GP services with symptoms such as nausea, headaches, breathlessness and vomiting.

I ask the Leader to schedule a debate on this important issue as I know other Senators are concerned about this matter. Senator Norris was a co-sponsor of a Private Members' Bill that was tabled by former Senator, Mr. Feargal Quinn, two years ago. The legislation was called the Building Control (Carbon Monoxide Detection) Bill 2014. My party colleague, Senator Brian Ó Domhnaill, spoke on the legislation at the time. Carbon monoxide awareness is a major issue for families, homeowners and landlords. Responsibility for the issue falls between two Ministers - the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Denis Naughten, and the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, Deputy Simon Coveney.

The State, through the 31 local authorities, is the largest landlord in this country. The local authorities have made provision in their 2016 budgets to receive rental payments of €391 million from local authority tenants. The role played by each local authority is crucial. I want to know whether they are meeting their legal and statutory obligations in terms of ensuring that all domestic boilers are serviced annually. On foot of information supplied to me by elected local authority members, I have submitted detailed queries on this matter to the chief executive of each local authority. I have asked them to outline the number of local authority homes in their areas and the corresponding number of boilers that have been serviced in the each of the past five years in the same areas. Everyone in this House has heard of the hippocratic oath, which I have taken. There is a phrase in it that everyone knows instinctively but which is often overlooked when it comes to public policy. It reads, "prevention is preferable to cure". Illnesses and deaths from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning are preventable; therefore, I urge the Leader to arrange a debate on this and related matters in the coming weeks during which we can examine proposals that would place a much greater onus on landlords and the State to ensure safety standards are maintained.