Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)
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Question 456: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if she studied in detail the report she received in mid-September 2005 that was carried out by the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution in the United Kingdom on the effect of agricultural chemicals when sprayed on farmers and other persons, especially developing children living in the vicinity of the sprayed area; and the action she plans to take based on the report's findings. [34396/05]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The report will be taken into account in the review of the regulatory system for plant protection products being undertaken with our EU partners and the Commission. The report reflects public concerns brought to the attention of the Royal Commission, recognises the lack of evidence of causality, and recommends that risk assessment techniques and methodologies be reviewed and that additional monitoring and health surveillance be undertaken.

The arrangements currently in place in this country for the assessment of risks for workers, bystanders and consumers who may be exposed when crops are sprayed are based on current EU rules and take account of the most extreme exposures likely to occur. They require consideration of health effects on all sectors of the community, including vulnerable groups such as children and the elderly.