Tony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Members who have participated in the debates, particularly the Opposition spokespersons who tabled many amendments and put me through my paces on Committee and Report Stages. They took a genuine interest in the Bill and I tried to respond by accepting amendments I felt would improve the legislation. I do not take the view that it is the job of Government in these circumstances to reject every amendment that comes before it and come up with something similar from the Government side. Occasionally, the drafting requires that that be the case but I greatly appreciate the interest taken by Members on Second Stage and particularly on Committee and Report Stages. We will have a better Bill for that reason.

I hope to bring the Bill before the Seanad in the next week or two. At that stage there may be other amendments with which I will be required to come back to this House. One or two issues were raised on Report Stage that I intend to re-examine. I also want to thank the officials in the Department and all the people involved in making submissions on the Bill. The point was made that when work is done outside the House, it can occasionally appear to cut across the work of the Oireachtas, but it would be a mistake to ignore the fine contributions made from outside the House at an earlier stage. In some instances I have gone with them, in others I have not. Ultimately, the success of the Bill will depend on changing the existing mindset. I look forward to working with the Health and Safety Authority to ensure the Bill makes a substantial contribution, which is necessary in light of the figures for death and injuries for the earlier part of this year.

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