Tony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)

Deputy Hogan is correct that the background to the establishment of the review group was the fact that many cases referred to the Health and Safety Authority did not ordinarily come within its remit. In an ideal world there would be a clear delineation between the various agencies. There normally is such delineation, such as between the Garda Síochána and the Health and Safety Authority on road traffic issues, although grey areas occurred recently which were eventually sorted out.

The difficulty in the proposal for an over-arching body is that it would have no real responsibility itself and no capacity to examine issues. It would merely oversee the role of other bodies. It does not seem to be sensible to establish an agency with that remit. I take the point made by Deputy Hogan that if the system could be improved in terms of clarity on the responsibility of various agencies, it would be helpful.

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