Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I suggest that can be done by trying to make the regulations as user-friendly as possible. It is clear that many accidents and deaths are occurring on farms, which are largely one-person or two-person operations. The Health and Safety Authority cannot ignore the obligation to observe safety requirements just because the business is small. We have introduced the BeSMART tool to provide an easy checklist for people who want to comply with health and safety regulations. This means they avoid the high compliance costs associated with inspectors coming in, etc. If one goes through the aspects of this matter relating to my Department, it is clear that one cannot say a small business should not pay the minimum wage or take a proper approach to corporate governance. If one examines most of the areas in which requirements are designed, one will find that they are aligned to the potential risks, where possible. That is the approach that has been taken.

I would be interested to see how the French authorities do things. Companies are obliged to register and make returns. It is hard to see which of these obligations could be dropped in the case of a small company. We are seeking to protect people who might become customers of that company and who would want to see that it has lodged returns, etc. If the Senator has information on what is done in France, I would be interested to examine it. Generally speaking, we try to simplify most of our measures. Mr. O'Gorman from the Department has just given me some examples of areas in which we have simplified processes. We made savings of €82 million in the company law area by making it easier to use health and safety. That led to €124 million in administrative savings down the way. That is the approach we try to take.

I know Senator Quinn has particular beefs around the Groceries Order and the regulation of relationships in the grocery supply chain. The committee has examined that time and again. It has found areas of clear abuse and said that regulatory certainty is needed. Many of the companies are operating under similar regimes in other countries. I do not believe it will be a huge burden on them. We are all open to listening to anyone who might suggest that a specific regulation is unnecessary or could be simplified in a certain way. Much of the stuff we have been doing has involved simplifying rules, forms and approaches. I suggest that those concerned about this issue should draw up a list of particular things we could try to modify. The Minister for Finance, Deputy Noonan, has amended the tax regulations that apply to start-ups.