Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)

I move amendment No. 5:

In page 10, between lines 10 and 11, to insert the following:

"'accredited trainer' means a trainer or assessor whose competence, skills and ability have been evaluated by an independent system of appraisal established by Ministerial regulations under this Act;".

The purpose of the amendment is to establish, on a statutory footing under the act, a system of accreditation for people acting as trainers or assessors. The Minister of State will be aware of matters I raised on Committee Stage and during Questions regarding the construction industry. It has emerged that employees did not receive proper training or certification of their training under the FÁS schemes established for this purpose. The Health and Safety Authority delegated to FÁS responsibility for the provision of such training, which is recognised by the Further Education and Training Awards Council.

There has been considerable activity since I raised this issue, with some of those assigned by FÁS to provide training and assessment for workers in the construction industry delisted from the panel. It is a serious matter that hundreds of workers were employed on building sites without proper training. Under building regulations, it is obligatory for those engaged in a range of duties on building sites, for example, working with scaffolding and driving machinery, including tower cranes, to receive training. It is horrendous to believe that the State was engaged in a practice whereby assessors and trainers did not carry out work they were assigned to do.

This amendment is necessary to ensure that this sort of activity will not go unchallenged. It proposes to establish a statutory process in which the accreditation of trainers is set out in defined terms and the competence, skills and training of certain construction workers are laid down by ministerial regulation.

I ask the Minister of State to take a serious view of the matters I have raised. He indicated in reply to a question that the Garda was conducting an investigation. Perhaps he will enlighten the House on the progress of the investigation. Does he have anything to report with regard to untrained people who allegedly set the requirements of the skills training package for employees in the construction trade?

I appeal to the Minister of State to learn from this experience by ensuring we enshrine in legislation the requirement to have appropriate accredited trainers. This type of unsavoury activity must cease because accidents involving an untrained employee on a construction site, for example, the driver of a tower crane, would put employees and members of the public at risk.

See this speech in context