Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I want to ask about the Health and Safety Authority, HSA. I will begin with a brief quote from an RTE report, which stated that "the country's workplace safety agency says it currently does not have sufficient resources to perform all of its duties to the highest standard." Speaking on RTE's "This Week" programme, Martin O'Halloran, CEO of the HSA, said he has written to the Government looking for additional personnel to meet the demands of a growing national workforce.

Over the past decade, 200 people have died on Irish farms yet the number of farm inspections carried out by the HSA has fallen from 3,112 to just over 2,000 between 2012 and last year. Those are very concerning statistics. How many additional personnel has the HSA requested? Has it requested additional funding for 2017? Have other agencies or offices under the Tánaiste's remit requested additional staff or funding? If so, which agency and how many staff?

I also want to ask about the Workplace Relations Commission, if I may. We had its officials in recently in respect of the fishing industry. It was concerning to hear that they are going to have to step back on their inspection programme even though there are now charges of people trafficking, because they simply do not have the resources to cope. How many labour inspectors are currently employed? Would the Tánaiste consider the case for increasing the number? Sinn Féin carried out a survey of the hospitality industry which showed huge non-compliance with basic terms of employment and conditions. We know there are major problems out there and that there has been a constant shortage of inspectors. I would like to know how the Tánaiste intends to address the issue. I thank her for her patience as I have asked quite a few questions.