Vol. 397 No. 5
47 Mr. Ferris asked the Minister for Labour if he will outline the number of people likely to be employed by the National Authority for Occupational Safety and Health in 1990; if all such staff will be civil servants subject to the Official Secrets Act; the tasks they will be performing; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
At present the National Authority for Occupational Safety and Health have 66 staff. With the exception of the director general, who is an employee of the Authority, the other staff are civil servants on secondment to the Authority from my Department.
I am now awaiting the authority's proposals for its overall staffing requirements. Until these proposals are considered by me in consultation with the Minister for Finance in accordance with section 19(4) of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, 1989, it is not possible to indicate the likely number to be employed or whether they will all be civil servants or not. All civil servants remain subject to the Official Secrets Act whether serving in the civil service or in the wider public service.
The tasks to be performed by the staff of the Authority will be allocated by the Authority but would come within the principal functions of the Authority in relation to enforcement, information and advice as regards safety and health at work as described in section 16 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, 1989.
