Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. She raised the issue of the capacity of the HSA. Environmental health officers in the HSE will play a role. Capacity is a very real issue. We have had discussions about that at Government level. The Ministers for Health and Business, Enterprise and Innovation might be able to give the Deputy a more comprehensive answer than I can because they have been dealing with this issue.

It is acknowledged by the Government that the HSA will need more staff and more resources. The plan, which may or may not be operational - I understand it is - is to redeploy people from other parts of the public service and Civil Service to the authority so that it has the additional resources it requires.

This is something that has not been done before though, so there will be teething problems. We all acknowledge that. One of the welcome aspects of the protocol agreed by the Government, unions and employer bodies is that there is a protocol. I appreciate there will be workplaces where it might not be followed, but I think it will be in most of them. In each area there is a designated worker or staff member who is responsible in that workplace or on that site for ensuring the protocol is implemented. In many cases, that person is going to be a shop steward or a union official. Unions working together with business and Government will mean we can make this work, because I know unions and employers want people to get back to work and everybody wants that to happen safely. Tripartite co-operation between the Government, unions and employers on this issue, and other issues, can be a good example. I am not sure of the specific question. I think it is on North-South issues?

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