Details in relation to additional funding and staffing requests from the Health and Safety Authority are set out in the tables.
It should be noted that given the role and remit of the Health and Safety Authority it is staffed by a mixture of technical expertise grades at inspector level and administrative grades. The technical inspector grades cover the Occupational Safety and Health remit of the Authority (which includes sectors such as construction, agriculture, mines and quarries, transport and storage and occupational health and welfare) as well as the Authority’s Chemicals Programme, Market Surveillance functions and INAB (Irish National Accreditation Board) Programmes.
My Department monitors the funding and staffing requirements of the HSA on an ongoing basis and works closely with the Health and Safety Authority in this regard with a view to ensuring that the HSA is properly resourced to the greatest extent possible.
Table 1: HSA Additional Funding January 2016 to date
Year
|
Purpose of Request
|
DBEI Response
|
2016
|
Additional ICT funding sought as well as additional funding for targeted media campaigns in relation to worker safety and health in 2016.
|
Additional non-pay funding of €340,000 provided to HSA for 2016.
|
2017
|
Increase in core funding for pay, non-pay and pensions sought by the HSA in respect of the 2017 Estimates Submission as well as specific additional funding for safety promotion programmes.
|
Additional pay, non-pay and pensions funding provided to the HSA for 2017 i.e. pay allocation increased by €300,000 (with €150,000 to cover pay restoration under Lansdowne Road Agreement), non-pay allocation increased by €227,000 and pensions allocation increased by €41,000.
In additional a non-pay allocation of €400,000 as provided for safety promotion programmes.
|
2018
|
Increase in non-pay funding for 2018 to fund safety promotional and supporting activities in ongoing high-risk sectors sought in the context of the 2018 Estimates
|
Additional pay, non-pay and pensions funding provided to the HSA for 2018 i.e. pay allocation increased by €763,000 (€363,000 to cover costs under Lansdowne Road Agreement and €400,000 to cover additional Brexit related posts), non-pay allocation increased by €300,000 and pensions allocation increased by €100,000.
|
Table 2: HSA Staff Resources January 2016 to date
Number
|
Date of Request
|
Purpose of Request
|
Department Response
|
|
2016
|
|
|
1.
|
May
|
Replacement for Clerical Officer
|
Sanction Granted
|
2.
|
June
|
Replacement for Assistant Principal Officer
|
Sanction Granted
|
3.
|
August
|
Replacement Higher Executive Officer
|
Sanction Granted
|
4.
|
August
|
Replacement for Grade I Inspector
|
Sanction Granted
|
5.
|
August
|
Replacement for Grade II Inspector
|
Sanction Granted
|
6.
|
September
|
Replacement for Executive Officer
|
Sanction Granted
|
7.
|
October
|
Application to make Grade I Inspector substantive
|
Sanction Granted
|
8.
|
October
|
Replacement for Grade III Inspector
|
Sanction Granted
|
9.
|
December
|
New Clerical Officer post
|
Sanction Granted
|
10.
|
December
|
Replacement for Grade III Inspector
|
Sanction Granted
|
11.
|
December
|
Replacement for Grade III Inspector
|
Sanction Granted
|
12.
|
December
|
Replacement for Grade III Inspector
|
Sanction Granted
|
|
2017
|
|
|
13.
|
January
|
New Clerical Officer post
|
Sanction Granted
|
14.
|
February
|
Executive Officer post
|
Sanction Granted
|
15.
|
March
|
New Assistant Principal Officer post
|
Sanction Granted
|
16.
|
March
|
New Grade III Inspector post
|
Sanction Granted
|
17.
|
April
|
Replacement for Grade III Inspector
|
Sanction Granted
|
18.
|
May
|
Temporary replacement for Programme Manager
|
Sanction Granted
|
19.
|
June
|
Replacement for Grade II Inspector
|
Sanction Granted
|
20.
|
August
|
New Accreditation Officer Grade II Inspector post
|
Sanction Granted
|
21.
|
October
|
Application to make a HEO substantive
|
Sanction Granted
|
22.
|
November
|
Replacement for Grade III Inspector
|
Sanction Granted
|
23.
|
November
|
Temporary replacement for Assistant Chief Executive
|
Refused
|
24.
|
November
|
Replacement for Assistant Chief Executive Officer
|
Sanction Granted
|
25.
|
November
|
Replacement for Executive Officer
|
Sanction Granted
|
26.
|
December
|
Replacement for Chief Executive Officer
|
Sanction Granted
|
|
2018
|
|
|
27.
|
January
|
New Higher Executive Officer post
|
Application under consideration
|
28.
|
January
|
New Grade III Inspector post
|
Sanction Granted
|
29.
|
January
|
New Grade III Inspector post
|
Sanction Granted
|
30.
|
January
|
New Grade III Inspector post
|
Sanction Granted
|
31.
|
January
|
New Grade III Inspector post
|
Sanction Granted
|
32.
|
January
|
New Grade III Inspector post
|
Sanction Granted
|
33.
|
January
|
New Grade III Inspector post
|
Sanction Granted
|
34.
|
January
|
New Grade III Inspector post
|
Sanction Granted
|
35.
|
February
|
New Grade I Inspector post
|
Application under consideration
|
36.
|
February
|
New Assistant Principal Officer post
|
Application under consideration
|
37.
|
February
|
Temporary replacement for three Grade III Inspectors currently on extended leave
|
Application under consideration
|