Tony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)

The Deputy made a very strong case on the matter on Committee Stage and I have reflected on it in the meantime. An argument exists as to whether we should have a regulatory impact assessment or a competitiveness impact assessment. I agreed to undertake a competitiveness impact assessment. We are at the early stages of considering how we might do this. One of the difficulties is that a huge element of this Bill is a restatement of previous enactments, particularly the 1989 Act and others. We are not starting from a green field from a regulatory point of view. However, I believe Deputy Hogan and others accept that very considerable savings will be made for business and the State, when one considers that the loss to the economy annually is conservatively estimated at €1.6 billion from ill-health, injuries and deaths in the workplace. There is scope for benefits to industry and business in that regard through better health, safety and welfare provisions. I accept the Deputy's general point and I will commission a competitiveness assessment. As all the Deputies know, it would be most unusual to have a provision such as this in the primary legislation. I will undertake that review.

See this speech in context