asked the Minister for Labour if it is his intention to introduce legislation to make it compulsory for private companies to have employers liability to cover their workforce; and if he is aware of the serious position which exists at present for employees without such legislation.
Written Answers. - Employers' Liability Insurance.
559.
The recently published Report of the Commission of Inquiry on Safety, Health and Welfare at Work contains a number of general recommendations in relation to employers' liability insurance both in the long term and the short term. As some of the matters at issue were outside the commission's terms of reference they recommended that a major inquiry be carried out into the whole matter of compensation for injury at work. The commission also recommended that employers' liability insurance be made compulsory on a selective basis initially.
I am examining these proposals, in the context of the report as a whole. The issues involved are extremely complex and, as recognised by the commission, the solution to the problem does not merely lie in making such insurance compulsory, but also in ensuring that any system adopted can be properly enforced. I intend to consult the various interests concerned before developing proposals for action.