asked the Minister for Labour if he is satisfied with the present legislation relating to safety standards in industry.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Industrial Safety Standards.
7.
When outlining the provisions of the Safety in Industry Bill to the Dáil I made it clear that one of my aims was to improve existing legislation relating to safety standards in industry. As soon as the Bill is enacted, I propose to set up a working party to make recommendations for such further improvements as may be necessary or desirable.
In the aftermath of Whiddy is the Minister satisfied that he has enough powers to deal with the altering pattern of Irish industry in which these enormous disasters can take place and with carriage of toxic substances in relation to the kind of accident that happened at Whiddy? Is he satisfied that he has enough power to deal with that type of new possible disaster in industry?
There is no question of satisfaction with existing safety legislation in the sense that satisfaction implies not having to take any further action. Legislating for safety standards and revising present standards are a continuous process in so far as the Department of Labour are concerned. Safety laws emanating from the Department—be it primary or secondary legislation—are subject to review as a matter of course both in the light of practical experience of their operation and in the light of technological progress made since they were introduced. Thus, in the case of primary legislation, such as the Factories Act of 1955, a Bill entitled the Safety in Industry Bill, 1978, has been brought forward to update that Act. As regards secondary legislation, the wide powers for making regulations contained in the 1955 Act are used to set safety standards in a variety of operations and circumstances every year. Existing regulations are also amended, where necessary, on the advice of the industrial inspectorate.
Does the Minister feel that he needs to bring his former attitudes up to date following Whiddy? Is he happy that he has done everything he can to obviate a repetition of such a disaster?
As I have said to the Deputy, naturally I will always be concerned with the safety aspect. Again, I want to emphasis what I said in my supplementary reply: that there is no question of satisfaction with existing safety regulations in the sense that satisfaction implies not having to take further action; in other words, one must continue to look at the safety situation.