John Cregan (Limerick West, Fianna Fail)

The people who provide such care are to be commended. In looking after their elderly parents or relatives in their own homes, they save the State an enormous amount of money because the person who is sick is not required to enter a hospital or other care institution belonging to the State. The maximum leave entitlement will soon be extended to 104 weeks — practically double the current level — and I welcome that very much. The Act fulfils the Government's commitments in budget 2000 and in the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness to introduce legislation to give effect to a carer's benefit payment and a parallel right to carer's leave. I welcome that important development.

The Government also introduced the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, which came into effect on 1 September 2005. The primary focus of this major new legislation on safety and health in the workplace is on the prevention of deaths and injuries in the workplace. Unfortunately, workplace deaths still take place——

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