Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)
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Question 112: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children her views on the fact that water fluoridation has occurred here without the necessary statutory approval; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15408/05]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The statutory basis for the fluoridation of public piped water supplies is the Health (Fluoridation of Water Supplies) Act 1960, 46 of 1960, and various regulations made under the Act. The Act provides for the making by health authorities of arrangements for the fluoridation of water supplied by sanitary authorities through pipes. The Act also provides that the amount of fluorine added to a water supply shall not exceed one part by weight of fluorine per million parts of water.

The expert body on fluorides and health, which was established by the Minister for Health and Children and is charged with implementing the recommendations of the forum on fluoridation, is currently examining the regulations governing fluoridation of public piped water supplies with the aim of making proposals to the Minister for the purposes of implementing the recommendation of the forum to reduce the level of fluorine in public piped water supplies from between 0.8 parts per million and one part per million to between 0.6 parts per million to 0.8 parts per million. As part of that exercise, the expert body is currently carrying out a census of public piped water supplies, and when that work is complete, the expert body will make recommendations to the Minister regarding the updating of the current regulations.

The Health Act 2004 provided for the Health Service Executive, or HSE, which was established on 1 January 2005. Under the Act, the executive has the responsibility to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. That includes responsibility for the levels of fluoridation for each water authority.