Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will take five minutes and Deputy McGuinness will take two and a half.

Many of my questions have already been asked. I thank the witnesses. I would like some clarification. Does each construction site have sufficient personal protective equipment, PPE?

This question is for Dr. McGuinness. Are the guidelines sufficiently clear? It is important that there is good communication with workers. Is there guidance in place to help those whose first language is not English?

It is important that the HSA be better resourced. That is an issue that has been raised today and it is one of my concerns. I believe there will be a cross-body approach with the WRC, environmental health and the Garda all pitching in. Will all of the information be in a database setting out what will happen? What will be the outcome from everyone pitching in together? That would be good, but I would like clarification on that.

What happens when a site, factory or shop is found to be in breach of safety standards? I heard the steps that were set out, but what is the reality? The Covid-19 protocol is a living document and it can change. Is there room for manoeuvre before a written warning is issued or a site shut down and healthy workers are put out of work? What can we do to help ensure total compliance on sites so that they are not shut down? That question is also for Dr. McGuinness.

My next question is for Ms King. I agree that workers need a statutory right to representation. However, I believe there is a missing link in workers' rights in Ireland, namely, the right to raise concerns without penalisation. While the emergency legislation and the protocols provide workers with the ability to raise issues of health and safety without suffering, that is not the reality on the ground. In the meantime, we need to put a statutory framework in place. I agree that something definitely must be done in that regard.

Does Ms King think there is fairness in the system whereby a worker is put in charge of his or her employment location safety rules? It is well established in the construction industry, but it might be new to a hardware store or garden centre. Are workers consulted on who the person should be? It is very important that the representative should be fair, trusted and look after the needs of workers.

The following question is for Mr. Parlon. The CIF designed a standard operating protocol for the return to work process. As part of that, it created an online safety induction programme for workers returning to work. I was informed by the federation that more than 130,000 workers employed in the industry have completed the induction and are continuing to complete the programme and receiving digital cards so that they can return to sites. I wonder whether oversight is robust. How does anyone know if the workers are fully engaged with this process? I would like to think it is not just a box-ticking exercise and that during the inspections, Mr. Parlon's organisation will check that workers understand the protocol and that there are no language or computer literacy issues, which are major concerns. We must support workers.