Eric J. Byrne
Question:106 Mr. E. Byrne asked the Minister for Justice whether her Department has a safety statement and a designated safety officer. [7214/97]
Written Answers. - Departmental Safety Policy.
In accordance with the provisions of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 1989, a safety statement has been prepared for all offices under the aegis of my Department, including head office, the Prisons Service, the courts, the Land Registry and the Probation and Welfare Service. Statements are in the course of preparation for the newly opened prisons at the Curragh and Castlerea as well as for the office of the State Pathologist, for which my Department assumed responsibility in January 1997.
Responsibility for safety, health and welfare at work in An Garda Síochána is a matter for the Garda Commissioner and I have been informed that the relevant safety statements have been prepared for all areas under his control.
In each of the above areas, individual members of local management have been designated with responsibility for the matters assigned to them under the respective safety statements in accordance with section 12 (4) (c) of the Act. In addition, staff in most of these areas have exercised their right under section 13 (3) of the Act to select a safety representative.
There is a central co-ordinating committee in my Department which oversees developments generally in the area of safety, health and welfare at work within the Department. Apart from ensuring that management and staff are fully aware of their obligations under the Act and the various related statutory instruments, a central feature of the committee's remit is to ensure that safety statements are updated on a regular basis.