Ms Patricia Byron:

We would need the chief executive in attendance to go into that matter in any great detail. After my recent appointment, I spoke to him about where the HSA’s energies were focused and where he felt more work would be done. We have a sustainability and climate agenda and, aside from solar panels, we are seeing more applications for hydrogen tanks. I am aware of applications for the reconstitution of other tanks for hydrogen storage outside the country, if not in the country. This is an emerging area on which we need to educate ourselves and acquiring the right skill sets. We cannot regulate people without having the right skill sets on our side of the table.

I have worked with a number of State bodies in one capacity or another. We believe that cross-agency engagement is essential in this space. There is no point in us just coming in and shouting the odds about X, Y and Z in terms of safe and healthy work environments. It is a question of influencing people at an earlier stage. Rather than dealing with the output, let us deal with the input with the planners. I have encouraged that engagement.

In terms of the nitty-gritty of what happens, it is about ensuring that these units are safe places during their construction and, once they are working, maintenance. I would leave the technical details to those in that space.