Written Answers. - Public Safety.
David Stanton
Ceist:
87
Mr. Stanton
asked the
Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment
the members of the interdepartmental agency review group on public safety; the date the group was established; its terms of reference; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[27315/99]
The Government agreed at its meeting on the 21 July 1999 to set up an interdepartmental agency group to review and report on the State's approach to public safety. The review group is being chaired by Dr. Daniel O'Hare and the first meeting took place on Monday, 15 November 1999.
The members of the review group are as follows: Mr. Donagh Morgan, Department of the Taoiseach; Mr. Kieran Grace, Department of the Marine and Natural Resources; Mr. Noel Kilkenny, Department of Foreign Affairs; Mr. Sean Griffin, Department of Public Enterprise; Ms Anne Ruane, Department of Defence; Mr. Brendan McInerney, Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development; Mr. Lorcan Nolan, Department of Finance; Mr. Michael Manley, Department of the Environment and Local Government-An Bord Pleanála; Mr. Niall Cahill, Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs; Mr. Michael Donovan, Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands; Mr. Kenneth O'Leary, Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform; Mr. Paddy Heffernan, Department of Tourism, Sport and Recreation; Mr. Frank Wyse, Department of Education and Science; Mr. Christopher Doyle, Attorney General's office; Dr. Sylvia Wood, Health and Safety Authority; Dr. Ken Macken, Environmental Protection Agency; Mr. Michael Byrne, County and City Managers' Association; Chief Superintendent Patrick Cregg, the Garda Síochána; Ms Helen Raftery, Irish Sports Council; Mr. Donal O'Sullivan, Irish Public Bodies Mutual Insurance Ltd; Mr. Alan Connolly, Irish Public Bodies Mutual Insurance Ltd; Mr. Pat Costello, National Safety Council; Mr. Fergus McCafferty, Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment; Mr. Philip Lane, Chief Executive Officers Group/Department of Health and Children; Mr. Michael Fitzsimons, Chief Fire Officers' Association; Ms Eilis Hamilton, secretary.
The terms of reference of the review group are as follows: to examine and report on the adequacy of the current administrative-regulatory arrangements for general public safety, and, if necessary, to invite submissions on the matter; in so doing to carry out an audit of existing legislative and voluntary approaches to public safety issues, the extent of the cover and protection provided by those approaches, identify and comment upon any gaps in the existing arrangements and whether any changes, legislative or otherwise are needed; to make recommendations to the Government on any issues arising from the review, including the appropriateness of establishing a national co-ordination committee to direct and oversee the policy approach in this area; to cost the financial implications of its recommendations and suggest sources of funding to finance those recommendations; and a final report to be submitted to the Government no later than six months from the date of the first meeting of the group, or by such other deadline as may be agreed between the chairperson of the group and the Tánaiste.
