Vol. 436 No. 6
26 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Minister for Defence his views on whether the exclusion of certain activities by members of the Defence Forces from the terms of the health and safety regulations is satisfactory; if his attention has been drawn to the serious concern about this matter expressed by PDFORRA; if he has any plans to consult with the Department of Enterprise and Employment or the Health and Safety Authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 1993, which were made earlier this year by the Minister for Enterprise and Employment, provide for the application of the relevant statutory provisions to members of the Defence Forces with limited exemptions. These exemptions were confined in the main, to cover the operational activities of the Defence Forces.
It is the intention of the Department of Defence that the Act will continue to have the broadest possible application within the Permanent Defence Force. The scope of representation available to the representative associations provides for the raising of matters in this context within the Conciliation Scheme for the Force.
The Health and Safety Authority has established a special Advisory Committee to report on health and safety matters with reference to the Defence Forces. The Committee, which has had two meetings to date, includes representatives of PDFORRA, RACO, the civil and military sides of the Department of Defence, the ICTU, IBEC and the Health and Safety Authority.
