The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Andrews, has raised with the British government the issue of residents in south Armagh being exposed to helicopter fumes from Bessbrook army heliport. The village is one of the busiest military heliports in Europe.
Mr Andrews's private secretary has written to a local resident, Mr Thomas Downey, who had sent him a copy of the Brit- ish Medical Journal detailing research showing that jet fuel fumes cause neurological damage. The Minister's secretary expressed the expectation that, in "the new climate of peace", such helicopter flying would be reduced.