Topical Issue Debate

Departmental Staff

Deputy Noel Harrington

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this issue for debate as a Topical Issue. It is a matter of vital importance to the population of Castletownbere on the remote Beara Peninsula. The town has a population of approximately 1,500 with perhaps twice or three times that number living on the peninsula this social welfare office serves. The office serves not only the population of the town, but also the residents of Bear Island, Dursey Island, Alhiles, Eyeries, Garish, Ardgroom and Adrigole, which are very small and remote rural parishes.

I have been informed that Department of Social Protection is proposing to cease operating its district office in Castletownbere on a weekly basis and reduce this service to once a month. Castletownbere is on the periphery of the Department of the Social Protection network and all I am asking is that one official of that Department would travel the 30 miles from Bantry to Castletownbere once a week rather than asking the clients from Castletownbere and the Beara Peninsula to travel every week to Bantry, which is more than 30 miles from Castletownbere and may be more than 45 miles from other parts of the peninsula. With two offshore islands also involved, it is quite a challenge for those on social protection.

Public transport is sporadic to say the least and to use the bus service provided by Bus Éireann would entail a two-day journey. Bus Éireann sends one bus into Castletownbere each weekday at 12.30 p.m. and it leaves half an hour later for Bantry. It is not practicable for those living on the peninsula who access social protection services to use the public transport service. The private bus services that operate only go a few times a week.

The clients of the Department of Social Protection live on a week-to-week basis and not a month-to-month basis. The Department administers more than 50 different schemes and the clients who attend the office in Castletownbere are varied. The information they receive there is very helpful and necessary. Castletownbere has high unemployment rates. CSO figures for the general Bantry area, including Castletownbere, indicate that it has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country. The nature of the work in Castletownbere is often seasonal and access to the social protection office in that regard would be necessary after people finish work in the winter in the sea fishing area or in the summer in the tourism sector. Accessing unemployment benefit and information is very important for them. Travelling 30 or 40 miles or only doing this on a monthly basis will not work.

Castletownbere does not have a citizens' advice bureau and we have no family resource centre in the town, although there is one in one of the outlying parishes in Adrigole. Not only does the loss of this office impact on the direct social protection service in terms of payments for unemployment assistance or benefit, we are also losing a vital information service. The Beara Peninsula is approximately the size of County Louth, although not obviously in population terms.

Deputy Fergus O’Dowd

It is not as beautiful.

Deputy Noel Harrington

That might give the Minister of State an idea of the geography involved. We are not asking for much. We just ask that the office remain open one day a week rather than the proposed monthly service in premises for which the Department already has a contract. While I know this is a very local issue, it is an important reflection of how the Department deals with vulnerable clients in peripheral areas.

Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Deputy Joe Costello)

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I assure the Deputy that it is not proposed to close the social welfare office in Castletownbere. The Department of Social Protection is very conscious of the need to provide efficient and effective customer services at a local level throughout the country for clients while managing services with diminishing resources.

The Department has provided a service with regard to jobseeker's benefit claims in Castletownbere, via its Bantry control office, since 1995 on a weekly basis. Staff from Bantry used to attend the Castletownbere office every Wednesday and one Tuesday a month. Since the end of March, this arrangement has changed to the first Tuesday and Wednesday every month to take claims and for signing on purposes. This change was taken in the context of the business requirements of the Department in light of available resources. With the integration of the former community welfare service from the HSE and the employment and community services from FÁS into the Department, there is an expanded departmental presence in Castletownbere. In this regard, in addition to the jobseeker services mentioned, the Department also provides supplementary welfare and employment support services in Castletownbere on a weekly basis. For example, the officer who administers the supplementary welfare allowance scheme provides a service in Castletownbere every Wednesday and Friday from 10.00 am to noon. A social welfare inspector attends every Thursday and an employment services officer attends the Beara adult education centre on the first Thursday of every month from 10.30 to 12.30. I am satisfied that an adequate and appropriate level of service is being provided in Castletownbere.

Where staff vacancies arise, I assure the Deputy that the Department is expending every effort to continue to source available staff to fill critical vacancies, including those arising from retirements, by way of redeployment or transfer from within the Department and other Departments, taking account of the employment control framework target, as determined by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. The staffing needs for all areas within the Department are continuously reviewed, having regard to workloads, management priorities and the competing demands arising, to ensure that the best use is made of all available resources, with a view to providing an efficient service to those who rely on the schemes operated by the Department.

Deputy Noel Harrington

I thank the Minister of State for his response detailing the services available currently in Castletownbere. His response confirms that the service provided is counted more in hours per month than in days per month. This gets us to the issue in respect of this particular office. We do not have a FÁS office, a citizens advice bureau, a family resource centre or the support services other towns have. While the Department claims to maintain a service, it is a critical concern that this service is being reduced from a once-a-week operation to a monthly operation. In the context of the pressures that apply in Castletownbere and the seasonal workforce, this is not adequate. I urge the Minister to consider our situation and to take into account what we have to say in respect of the overall package the Department provides for the Beara peninsula. We urge the Department to review any decision to reduce the hours being provided.

A case could easily be made for the expansion of the hours in the context of a proposal to establish a one-stop-shop on social protection to assist those who are temporarily out of work or out of work long-term to upskill and get back into the workforce. Notwithstanding the Minister of State's response, I am disappointed that because of resources, the Department is going in the opposite direction at this time when it could not be more necessary to look at this issue. I urge the Minister to review the situation of the Castletownbere office and to put more resources into operating a more holistic social protection office in Castletownbere.

Deputy Joe Costello

I repeat that the Castletownbere office will not be closed and that where vacancies arise, they will be filled. The matter will be kept under continuous review. I have noted the Deputy's comments with regard to reviewing the workings of the Castletownbere office and his suggestion for a one-stop shop. I will bring those comments to the attention of the Minister.

Mortgage Resolution Process

Deputy Thomas P. Broughan

On the Order of Business on 1 May, I asked the Taoiseach to outline what action the Government was taking to ensure that all financial institutions which provide mortgages for Priory Hall residents would be fully engaged in the proposed new Priory Hall resolution process under former Supreme Court judge, Mr. Justice Joseph Finnegan. The proposal for a new resolution process had been announced a few days earlier and was greatly welcomed by Priory Hall residents as the first potentially positive step in six months of appalling suffering for them and their families. Given the horrendous ordeal they have endured, Priory Hall residents unanimously agreed to enter the resolution process. When the resolution process was initially announced, it appeared that the banks and financial institutions were refusing to engage with residents, Dublin City Council and other stakeholders. Given that many of these banks have been bailed out to the tune of billions by Irish citizens, it was particularly galling to read comments, allegedly from the Irish Banking Federation, that these financial institutions would not participate in the process and would continue to engage with Priory Hall residents only on a case-by-case basis.

A number of days later, AIB agreed to take part in the resolution process. I understand that a significant number of Priory Hall owner-occupiers are AIB mortgage holders, so this was a welcome decision for the individuals and families concerned. I also understand that a significant number of residents have mortgages with Bank of Ireland. Residents were clearly extremely anxious that all banks and financial institutions would fully engage with the mediation process to ensure it had credibility and would be able to help resolve the unique mortgage problem for Priory Hall owner-occupiers. Some residents greatly fear that they may be forced into bankruptcy if the mortgage crisis for Priory Hall residents is not urgently resolved. They also fear that they may face mortgage, rent and storage costs even though this whole construction, legal and financial quagmire came about through no fault of theirs.

A few weeks ago it seemed outrageous that banks, including several owned by the Irish and British states, might refuse to get involved in a voluntarily resolution process and I called on the Taoiseach to undertake all possible action to ensure they got involved. The Taoiseach told me in Dáil Éireann that he had spoken to the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government and that he had received confirmation from the banks that they would engage in the resolution process of Mr. Justice Finnegan. He went on to say that when he was in Baldoyle at the announcement of the $500 million investment by MyIan, he met a number of the people from Priory Hall. He concluded by saying: "My views on this matter are clear. I am pleased to note the banks have confirmed they will engage in the resolution process." I asked the Taoiseach to confirm that all of the banks and financial institutions would participate and he answered in the affirmative and said: "I understand 13 or 14 banks are involved."

I welcomed the Taoiseach's comments on the Order of Business last week that all the banks will now engage in the proposed resolution process under Mr. Justice Joseph Finnegan. However, residents had not been informed of this and were very anxious to get confirmation of the name of each bank or financial institution that has agreed to participate. Can the Minister of State confirm which banks have agreed to participate? Has the Department provided Priory Hall residents and their outstanding representatives, including Ms Sinead Power, Ms Ursula Graham, Mr. Graham Usher and Mr. Darren Kelly with a list of the 13 or 14 institutions concerned? What other stakeholders will be involved in the process? Will these include the developer, Thomas McFeely and Coalport? Will the Minister of State indicate precisely how many Priory Hall residents have been invited to partake in the mediation process?

I received correspondence from the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Hogan, this morning and he said: "Out of respect for the process approved by the Supreme Court, I do not intend to make any comment at this point other than to ask all stakeholders to engage fully with it." I back the Minister's call for all stakeholders to be fully engaged in the process. However, residents are also clearly very anxious to get further details on the current status of the resolution process. Can the Minister of State confirm how long the process will take? I note that the Minister's correspondence referred to the "adjournment of the legal proceedings for a period of three months". Is there a three-month deadline and does the reference to three months mean we will have a conclusion in July? I would appreciate the Minister of State's comments on this.

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (Deputy Fergus O’Dowd)

I thank Deputy Broughan. I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Hogan. I acknowledge the ongoing, stressful, and distressing situation being experienced by these residents. They have been placed in a very difficult position and the Minister and all concerned wish to see their difficulties resolved as quickly as possible.

A Supreme Court hearing on an appeal by Dublin City Council against an order to pay for accommodation, storage costs and ancillary costs of residents forced to vacate their apartments at Priory Hall had been scheduled to take place on Tuesday, 24 April 2012. However, on Friday, 20 April 2012, the Supreme Court agreed to adjourn those proceedings for three months to allow for a conciliation process between the parties on the understanding that a court date will be made available in July should a hearing be necessary. The conciliation process is being chaired by Mr. Justice Joseph Finnegan, a retired Judge of the Supreme Court and a former President of the High Court. It provides an appropriate context for all parties concerned to work together towards identifying a way forward in dealing with this complex problem.

The Minister, Deputy Hogan, is not a party to the legal proceedings and has no role or involvement in regard to the conciliation process. Out of respect for the process approved by the Supreme Court, and for Mr. Justice Finnegan, the Minister does not intend to make any comment on the matter at this point, other than to urge all stakeholders to engage fully with it. At this point, nobody can anticipate the outcome of the process and it is important that all concerned now afford Mr. Justice Finnegan the opportunity to complete the task he has been given.

The residents of Priory Hall have now been out of their homes for more than six months. The overriding priority continues to be to facilitate the return by the residents to their homes as early as possible. In this respect it will be necessary to ensure that these homes are made fit for purpose and that the costs of so doing fall where they should. The Minister has asked Dublin City Council to do all within its powers to achieve this objective and has asked his Department to continue to liaise closely with Dublin City Council in this regard

Dublin City Council has made commendable efforts to provide for the needs of residents to date and it continues to work proactively on behalf of the residents towards achieving the necessary and longed-for resolution of the issues. In particular, the council, with the assistance of the Department and in consultation with NAMA, has secured alternative temporary accommodation for many of the residents. The council, with some assistance from this Department, continues to bear the cost of such accommodation and has confirmed it will continue to do so while the conciliation process is underway.

In these circumstances, and on behalf of the Minister, I urge all concerned to allow Mr. Justice Finnegan the opportunity to complete the task he has been given.

Deputy Thomas P. Broughan

I appreciate this reply. Is it the view of the Minister of State that all the financial stakeholders in the 187 units, referred to by the Taoiseach, should be present and should participate in order to ensure that this unique and very difficult issue will be resolved? Does he believe the stakeholders who should be present should include the original developer?

The Minister of State referred to the homes being made fit for purpose for the people concerned, those now out of their homes. Has the Department taken any view in terms of having a cost-benefit analysis or an interaction with Dublin City Council to explore whether a re-build of the entire complex might be the best way forward and part of the resolution? Would the Minister of State envisage Dublin City Council having the key role in that?

As the Minister of State will be aware, at this time, and pursuant to a proposal by me, Dublin City Council is preparing a new local area plan for the whole north fringe district. This was to be a new area of Dublin, with a population perhaps the size of that of Waterford or Tralee. That plan is entering its final stages and is returning to the city council. The Priory Hall complex occupies a key location on the main boulevard, or street. Is it important that the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government and Dublin City Council should interact and make the resolution of the Priory Hall issue part of the final local area plan for the district?

Deputy Fergus O’Dowd

Again, I thank Deputy Broughan for his comments and I assure him I will bring them to the attention of the Minister, Deputy Hogan, and also to the Department. He has raised important points that are not part of the briefing I was given but nevertheless they represent the deep concerns of the Deputy and other public representatives, and of the community of Priory Hall in general who have been put at a very serious disadvantage as a result of all these issues.

It is important, however, that the independence of conciliation process chaired by Mr. Justice Finnegan is respected. We all accept that. The Minister recently released, for public consultation, proposed new building control regulations which will provide, first, for the introduction of mandatory certificates of compliance by builders and designers of buildings confirming that the statutory requirements of the building regulations have been met and, second, for the lodgment of drawings, at both commencement and completion of construction, demonstrating how the building has been designed and built to comply with all parts of the regulations.

The closing date for submissions is 24 May 2012. Mandatory certification and lodgment of drawings are key reforms which will have the capacity to improve the quality of buildings and lead to the further strengthening of the regulatory regime in 2012. These reforms are necessary if we are to ensure that a situation like that in Priory Hall can be avoided in future.

I reiterate that all the Deputy's views will be brought to the attention of the Minister, Deputy Hogan, and to the Department. If there is any further information that can be shared with him that will be done.

Housing Aid

Deputy Dessie Ellis

I thank the Chair for selecting this topic and the Minister of State for attending. He will be aware there is a serious crisis developing across the State in regard to shared ownership. People on the housing list and-or on low income availed of this facility in recent years. Applicants had to provide proof of two refusals from private lenders to avail of this loan.

This week alone, three houses in my area, Finglas, are up for repossession. A number of weeks ago, I was at the scene of an eviction in Finglas that received none of the attention a recent eviction in an affluent area received. This one concerned a sole property owner, not a person with multiples of properties. By next September there will be 70 shared ownership repossessions within Dublin City Council, dating from the last couple of years up to September. Fifty per cent of these were abandoned by individuals and families. Others were taken due to arrears and non-payment after attempts to resolve the problems failed.

There are approximately 1,400 shared ownerships within Dublin City Council and approximately 6,000 to 7,000 throughout the country. Of these, 30% are 90 or more days in arrears. At present there 29 further cases of people who are unable to pay Dublin City Council, all of whom have been classed as in urgent need of housing. This crisis is heading towards major catastrophe for the families and individuals concerned.

The Keane report is all about private mortgages and private debt and does not address local authority lending and the debt accrued in that regard. The money received by local authorities came through the Housing Agency. What is the status of this report? We need the issue of shared ownership loans to be included in any solution. Although interest-only relief can be obtained on the mortgage section of these loans, the rent to local authorities rises by 4% each year. Negative equity is now a major disincentive for families fighting for these homes. The local authorities need help to take these homes in charge, with the residents' consent, and to keep families in their homes, charging them the normal local authority rent. It is a simple solution but it would be costly. I understand that, but we are in such a crisis in this regard it may be necessary for this to be done.

I realise people in these shared ownerships did not have to pay stamp duty; nor do they have to pay the household charge. Although this is a welcome relief it is not enough to alleviate the problems we face. Many of these loans were obtained by families such as lone parents on community employment schemes, or in other situations. We can argue to and fro as to whether this was the right thing to do at the time but the reality is we are now faced with the crisis affecting these families. I hope the Minister of State will look at this problem and respond to some of these issues.

Deputy Fergus O’Dowd

I thank Deputy Ellis for bringing this issue before the House. I will respond on behalf of the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Hogan. The shared ownership scheme was introduced in 1991 to a very different housing environment, as Deputy Ellis outlined. It was designed to facilitate access to full home ownership in two or more stages to persons who could not afford full ownership immediately, with ownership shared between the purchaser and the local authority.

The rent charged is used to cover the funding costs to the Housing Finance Agency, which are based on borrowings at the prevailing interest rates. Any difference between the rent and the prevailing interest rate is reflected in the capital outstanding on the property. In other words, if the rent charged is greater than the prevailing rate the outstanding equity will be reduced accordingly. Local authority mortgage holders, including those who purchased under shared ownership, also benefit from extremely keenly priced interest rates, which generally run at around 0.5% lower than the best rates available in the market and currently stand at around 1.5% below average variable rates available in the market. This is a very substantial differential.

Much has been done to support mortgage holders facing difficulties. A range of restructuring and rescheduling options are available under guidance on mortgage arrears, which my Department issued to local authorities in March 2010. To reflect the content of the Central Bank's revised code of conduct and provide a further suite of options for the sympathetic treatment of mortgage arrears by local authorities, my Department is currently preparing updated guidance to local authorities in consultation with the County and City Managers Association. I anticipate the guidance will be made available to local authorities before the summer recess. In addition, mortgage interest supplement, payable under the supplementary welfare scheme, is payable in respect of mortgages under shared ownership transactions, subject to conditions. An annual subsidy towards rent payments under shared ownership is also available through the rental subsidy scheme.

Finally, to take account of the current housing market conditions, the Government's housing policy statement, published in June 2011, announced the standing down of all affordable housing schemes, including the shared ownership scheme in the context of a full review of Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000. Any changes to legislation governing affordable housing schemes, including shared ownership, will be informed by that review, which will shortly commence.

Deputy Dessie Ellis

I hope the measures the Minister is preparing for the local authorities will address the issues raised. It would be a tragedy if we end up with people on local authority housing lists and in receipt of rent subsidy because we cannot leave them in their homes. It is financially viable to leave them in their homes. Dublin City Council has debts of €40 million in respect of affordable housing. Other sections of Dublin City Council have other debts. I refer to the Keane report, which does not mention this source of housing. The Minister of State said he would provide some guidelines but we need to see how exactly it will be dealt with. We are supposed to see how to deal with private debt in the Keane report. How will we deal with local authority debt? If Dublin City Council's exposure is this high, what is the exposure of other local authorities? I do not have the figures but I hope to get them in the near future. Many people at the bottom end of the scale are affected by this. Some of them surrendered properties when they came off the housing list and took up shared ownership. They lost their homes and there is a great danger of homelessness. Moving people from shared ownership to rental subsidy and homelessness would be disastrous.

Deputy Fergus O’Dowd

Deputy Ellis raised some important points, some of which I do not have an answer to. I am sure the Department will be able to provide statistics and a response on the Keane report. Local authorities face serious challenges and mortgage holders across the country and shared ownership borrowers are facing additional challenges. We must take account of this. Revised guidance to local authorities on the treatment of mortgage arrears will shortly issue. Closely mirroring the Central Bank's code of conduct on mortgage arrears, it replaces the existing guidance to local authorities. It will include a common mortgage arrears resolution process for use by all local authorities and will provide for the consistent and sympathetic treatment of all distressed local authority borrowers. That is the wish of everyone and particularly Deputy Ellis.

It is also recognises that wider issues beyond mortgage difficulties are faced by shared ownership mortgage holders. These include issues relating to a clawback if the property is sold, mortgage holders facing difficulties buying out the local authority's share of the property after clearing their shared ownership mortgages, and the lack of a facility whereby mortgage holders can rent their property. These issues will all be addressed in the context of the full review of Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000. This review may lead to legislative amendments, as appropriate, or to new guidance for local authorities and shared ownership mortgage holders, as appropriate. The review is a major commitment on the part of the Department and it will be keenly examining developments in the area.

Farm Safety

Deputy Michael Moynihan

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this matter. As we move into the busiest season in the agricultural calendar, we hope the weather will improve to allow harvesting. There is always concern about farm safety. Some farms stakeholders, the Agri Aware group and others, announced an initiative on education and safety on farms this week. Advertisements have just begun and we need a co-ordinated initiative. It is vitally important that everyone involved, directly or indirectly, in the agriculture industry raises the issue of farm safety. Over the past number of years, the farm has been an area of great risk and hidden danger.

Historically, people were involved in farming from a young age. Children of the family, those who were visiting and those who have been farming since childhood take chances on farm safety. We need to be clear that danger is highlighted. With livestock and machinery on farms, even with the greatest prevention there is always liability. It is important that this happens at primary and secondary schools because children love to get onto farms. Practices on farms of 25 and 30 years ago involved major risk and have since been discontinued. We need to be mindful of danger and to raise awareness at every level. I ask the Minister and the Government to ensure there is an adequate budget for farm safety campaigns over coming weeks.

Statistics on workplace deaths show that 2011 was a serious year. With the best will in the world, the trend seems to be going backwards. In discussion with the occupational health aspects of agriculture, the Health and Safety Authority listed the names of people who have died on farms. There is a terrible toll on the families and those directly involved and anyone involved in the accident. I ask the Minister to outline what funding is available and what farm safety initiatives will be undertaken by the Department and by the Government this year.

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Deputy Simon Coveney)

I thank Deputy Moynihan for raising this issue and this is not the first time we have discussed it because it is a continuing source of real concern. Farming remains the most dangerous occupation in Ireland. Last year saw a total of 22 farm-related fatalities and 6,673 reported non-fatal injuries. These injuries and fatalities are caused in a number of ways in particular with the use of farm machinery such as tractors and as a result of dealing with livestock.

While the Health and Safety Authority has primary responsibility for securing health and safety at work, particularly from an enforcement point of view, everyone has a responsibility to do what they can to improve the situation. My Department is represented on the farm safety partnership advisory committee which is a sub-committee of the Health and Safety Authority. The committee advises the board on the direction the HSA should take with regard to farm safety. My Department is very strongly committed to promoting farm safety in collaboration with the Health and Safety Authority and I have spoken at a number of its conferences. The Department has taken a number of steps over the past year in tandem with some of the other State and industry organisations to both raise awareness of the problem and to educate farmers and their families on the realities and the dangers of working in this industry.

The latest measure was to send a farm safety message to over 130,000 farmers. This was included in the single payment scheme application pack this year which means that every farmer received a reminder of the importance of farming safely. This is a joint initiative between the Department, the Health and Safety Authority and the farm safety partnership committee.

My colleague the Minister of State, Deputy McEntee, recently launched the farm and countryside safety project, which is located in the family farm at Dublin Zoo. It is supported by Agri Aware in conjunction with FBD Insurance, the IFA and ESB Networks. This programme will help to educate children about farm safety, as they comprise one of the groups most at risk on farms today. The project will culminate with the production of a 2013 calendar featuring selected images of safety messages drawn or painted by children. The calendar will be sent to all primary schools in the country.

Other actions by my Department include the provision to all farms of a code of practice aimed at reducing farm accidents; the inclusion of health and safety guidelines in all building specifications drawn up by my Department; the inclusion of farm safety in all REPS training courses; a dedicated area on the Department's website outlining the requirements on farm safety and practical advice on safety on farms. My Department has asked Teagasc to include a farm safety element in the dairy discussion groups participating in the Dairy Efficiency Programme 2010-2012 and the Department issues regular press releases.

Our actions to date are not enough because there are still far too many accidents and tragedies on farms which have destroyed families. We need to change the mindset of farm families as regards the operation of their farms and machinery and the management of livestock. There has been in some cases a careless attitude towards safety which at times has tragic consequences. Farming will always be a dangerous occupation, as is fishing. We have an obligation to reduce the likelihood of serious accidents and fatalities by constantly reminding farming people of the dangers.

Deputy Michael Moynihan

I thank the Minister for his reply. He is correct that more needs to be done. We are all aware of the devastation inflicted on families by such incidents. The most important safety aspects relate to children on farms. They are often on farms during the summer and it may be that parents may relax their attention to safety. The experienced farmer who may be working for many years may also take the eye off the ball with regard to safety. The Department needs to issue constant reminders of the importance of safe farming. Agriculture is one of the most dangerous occupations. Perhaps there should be one single agency to oversee safety and have ultimate responsibility for farm safety. This agency could be under the auspices of the Health and Safety Authority or the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Deputy Simon Coveney

I will consider the Deputy's suggestion. However, I am not convinced it will be as easy as simply taking responsibility away from the Health and Safety Authority because that body has responsibility for safety in the workplace generally and it has experience in this regard. The problem with farms is that they are a workplace but they are also a home, a playground, a place where family members and their friends hang around. Seasonal workers and neighbours are present on farms. It is, therefore, very difficult to apply the same kind of workplace enforcement of standards to farms as to factories and manufacturing units. This is what makes farming such a complex industry and it is the same in the case of the fishing sector but farming is much closer to the home. It is also the case that farm family members become involved with farm duties at a much younger age and they may be using very large and powerful machinery and this would never be the practice in other sectors. Likewise, very elderly people operate machinery and these are often past the age of retirement if they worked in other sectors.

Safety on farms is a more complex management exercise. The number of Health and Safety Authority farm inspections have been increased significantly this year. The issue of farm safety requires a combined approach on the part of farming organisations, private sector companies involved in farming such as FBD Insurance. The farm safety partnership advisory committee is comprised of many different entities such as Irish Rural Link, the agricultural contractors, Macra na Feirme, IFA, ICMSA, Teagasc. The suggestion that there should be a single departmental unit will not necessarily change the mindset on the farms unless a way can be found to get the message across to them more effectively. I will take on board the Deputy's suggestion and I will discuss it with my officials to see if the situation can be improved.

Just like dealing with road safety, one's success is measured, unfortunately, in the tragic statistics and we need to measure the effectiveness of the current programmes in the same way. This is unfortunate but it is the only measurement we can make.

Dáil Éireann díospóireacht - Thursday, 10 May 2012