Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)

The empire never gives in. It is unreasonable to impose the requirement to have a competent person under section 18(1) to identify the hazards in the place of work on a person who hires someone for a few hours each week to do the ironing. Most people will not do this because they will not be aware of the requirement and are not employers in the sense that people understand. A rule of thumb is that the basic law of reasonableness should apply to any legislation this House passes. The Minister of State is a very sound and reasonable person. It is unreasonable to try to extend health and safety legislation into the domestic household. Obviously every household should ensure that, for example, the wiring is appropriate to avoid the risk of electrocution. A person who hires someone for a few hours to look after the children should not need to carry out an audit of the sharp knives or ensure that the tiles in the kitchen are sufficiently non-slip. I am sure the departmental officials would agree with this because it is just not reasonable in the average household. The more we err on that side of unreasonableness——

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