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

I congratulate Ms Byron on her appointment and on her work in the public service over a long period. She mentioned the importance of an evidence base. How do we compare internationally, either sectorally or globally, particularly in the problem sectors like construction and agriculture? Should we be doing better in some of these spheres and are there lessons to be learned?

Undoubtedly, the economy is undergoing a massive transformation at the moment. We do not yet know the end of it, with elements like artificial intelligence, energy requirements and the circular economy. How is the HSA gearing up to this? We already see that remote working is becoming quite prevalent. Undoubtedly, this must throw up some health and safety issues as to who is responsible for safety and how it is to be managed. It would be interesting to get Ms Byron's insights.

We also heard about how AI is changing the way people are overseen in the workplace. It can be both a positive, if it identifies health and safety issues, but it can be negative if it is used for excessive surveillance. Where does Ms Byron see that going in her area?

The circular economy is a pet interest of mine. Our regulatory frameworks are very much geared towards the traditional linear economy. We do not like to see goods coming back again. Waste being reused is deemed to be somehow inferior. It carries with it all sorts of risks. The reality is that with the circular economy we are facing a need to embrace the reuse of materials and the repair of things that are broken. A purist health and safety approach would say that the surest way to keep things safe is to use virgin material, never bring it back into the workplace a second time, and dump it. In what ways is the HSA looking at these new sectors that could easily be constrained by an excess of officiousness about some of the requirements? I do not mean just in health and safety, but generally. Some of the rules around food preparation, for example, sometimes seem extraordinarily cumbersome when we are trying to encourage local businesses. How does Ms Byron see these big trends in our economy and how can the HSA respond to them?