asked the Minister for Local Government and Public Health if it is intended to hold an inquiry into the outbreak of fever in the Ballydavid district, County Kerry, into the causes of its extent and severity, and into the remedies, financial and otherwise, which the situation requires.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - County Kerry Fever Outbreak.
The reply is in the negative. All aspects of the outbreak have been fully investigated by the medical staff of the local authority in conjunction with the Department's deputy chief medical adviser and the medical inspector for the area. There have been no new cases of the disease since the 19th ultimo. The Deputy can rest assured that the requirements of the situation are being carefully watched.
Would the Parliamentary Secretary say, with all that information at his disposal, what was the cause of the original outbreak, and what was the cause of the widespread character that it afterwards assumed?
I am not in a position to state definitely the cause. A certain amount of circumstantial evidence has accumulated, but as the Deputy will appreciate, it is difficult to state definitely, in the case of any epidemic, what the cause is. Every possible source comes under suspicion. I cannot say definitely that the cause has been ascertained.
Well, is not that the gist of the question, namely, if the Parliamentary Secretary is not in a position to state definitely what is the cause, and what is the cause of the spread of the outbreak, would it not, in those circumstances, be advisable to hold a public inquiry? It is quite obvious that all the information is not available.
I have already indicated to the Deputy that the matter has been fully investigated and is still under investigation, and that beyond the accumulation of certain circumstantial evidence, pointing to a certain direction, the cause is not yet ascertained. It does not follow that the cause may not definitely be established yet, but every possible avenue of inquiry is being pursued.
Would not a public inquiry help to bring out the facts?
I am not aware that the public have any information that is not already forthcoming.
There was, as the Parliamentary Secretary will remember, a similar outbreak in England. A public inquiry was held there, and facts did come out at that public inquiry that, apparently, were not known before to the authorities, or to anybody else. I suggest to the Parliamentary Secretary that he should consider the advisability of following a course that there proved so useful in getting information.