Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 30 May 1995

Vol. 453 No. 6

Written Answers. - Organic Phosphate Sheep Dips.

Eoin Ryan

Ceist:

131 Mr. E. Ryan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the steps, if any, that were taken by him vis-á-vis the National Drugs Advisory Board in respect of complaints made to his Department regarding the consequences to health of the use of organ-ophosphate-based sheep dip referred to by him in replying to parliamentary question number 174 on 23 May 1995; if the matter was notified to the National Drugs Advisory Board; if the sheep dips were among those removed from the approved list in 1994; the reason for cutting the number of approved sheep dips from 17 to six in 1994; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9782/95]

Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry (Mr. Yates)

My Department referred the correspondents to the role of the National Drugs Advisory Board (NDAB) in relation to product safety in replies to letters or representations received in the 1989 and 1993 cases mentioned in the earlier question. My Department was also in contact with the NDAB in relation to the 1993 case. While my Department did not refer the 1989 case to the NDAB, it subsequently copied to the board a letter which issued in reply to a query about the health aspects of the dip in question. The decision to delete dips from the list of approved dips was taken following consultation with the NDAB. The dip involved in the 1989 case was not among those deleted. The 1993 case did not relate to any specific dip but deleted dips were implicit in the relevant correspondence.