Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

While I know this is not the responsibility of the Minister of State, Deputy Deenihan, with all due respect, someone in an office wrote that reply who does not have a clue what is happening on the ground. We know all the regulations and that they have been in place since 2014. However, there is a problem on the ground that is costing money for the smaller firms involved. The only firms in compliance with the regulations are the larger operators. Are we prepared to lose those small firms employing one to four people or will we follow the authorities in Northern Ireland in putting funding into training these small-sized fabricators to be compliant with these regulations? It is not the fault of these small firms, be they working out of a small shed in Kerry, Dublin or Mayo, that this regulation has been brought in on top of them.

Will the Minister of State go back to whoever wrote this reply to explain to them the real facts on the ground and how jobs will be lost? As a nation we do not want to lose jobs but promote them. The LEO boards are dealing with each group of welders in their respective counties. The boards need the funding for compliance training to save these jobs. The clock is ticking with many of these welding companies near the eleventh hour. When they look for work off the larger builders, they cannot tender because they cannot get the new welder certification. Someone has to get real and realise what is on the ground. Will the Minister of State bring that back to the Department responsible?

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