Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)

Sinn Féin supports the Law Reform Commission's recommendations of 2003 that corporations should be subject to criminal liability for corporate killing. Fines are obviously not enough of a deterrent. I reiterate our policy and demand that the Government establish a crime of corporate killing in law, thereby ensuring that company directors adhere to health and safety regulations. We need severe penalties that constitute real deterrents.

The Building and Allied Trades Union, BATU, and others have slated the Revenue Commissioners for facilitating so-called self-employment. Bogus self-employment directly affects the health and safety of such workers because, if they are injured in the workplace, they have no entitlements or protections. That is scandalous.

I welcome the Government's announcement that it will finally implement the construction regulations that were drawn up by the Health and Safety Authority more than two years ago. However, the Government's procrastination in failing to implement this legislation earlier has resulted in further tragedies.

We must all remember that most accidents are preventable. By working to secure all workers' health and safety rights, by increasing the number of labour inspectors and by establishing corporate killing as a crime, the majority of such accidents could be stopped. Workers' safety should take precedence over profit and greed. People should come before profit and workers should never have to pay with their blood or lives for their employers' neglect.

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