Results 281-300 of 2,815 for speaker:Tony Killeen

Seanad: Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Bill 2004: Second Stage. (11 May 2005)

Tony Killeen: I thank Senators from all sides who participated in the debate for their constructive and helpful comments and assure the House I approach this debate with an open mind and am open to accepting amendments tabled on Committee or Report Stages. Senator Coghlan asked a number of important questions, including one regarding resources for the Health and Safety Authority. The authority's budget...

Industrial Relations. (17 May 2005)

Tony Killeen: I thank Deputy Sherlock for raising this matter on Adjournment. I understand his concerns about the proposed cost-saving proposals at Galtee Meats, which is the pig division of Dairygold Co-operative Society Limited. The operations of Galtee Meats in Mitchelstown, Roscrea and Tallaght employed approximately 500 people until the end of September 2004. On 10 August 2004, the Dairygold Group...

School Accommodation. (17 May 2005)

Tony Killeen: I thank Deputy Ring for giving me the opportunity to outline the proposals of the Department of Education and Science in regard to the provision of a new facility for Gaelscoil na Cruaiche in Westport, County Mayo. Since the beginning of the year the Minister for Education and Science has made a number of announcements relating to the schools building and modernisation programme. This year...

Written Answers — Redundancy Payments: Redundancy Payments (17 May 2005)

Tony Killeen: The matter is under query with the person concerned and as soon as a reply is received by my officials, payment will be made directly to her from the social insurance fund.

Written Answers — Labour Inspectorate: Labour Inspectorate (17 May 2005)

Tony Killeen: Following the Minister, Deputy Martin's recent announcement on 12 April, there are now 31 labour inspector posts. The additional inspectors will strengthen the labour inspectorate's capacity to ensure that workers receive their entitlements under employment rights legislation. Arising from paragraph 12.4 of the mid-term review of Sustaining Progress and to assist in the preparation of...

Seanad: Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (17 May 2005)

Tony Killeen: Amendment No. 1 in the name of Senator O'Toole had considerable merit and while I might not have accepted it as it was, I would like to have considered a variation on it. On amendment No. 2, as Senator Cummins has pointed out, the definition as it stands is particularly wide and open to sweeping interpretation. For example, it is possible that a site manager on a construction site could be...

Seanad: Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (17 May 2005)

Tony Killeen: Senator O'Toole is correct. The Bill was published while the health boards were still in operation, but on 1 January 2005 they were replaced by the Health Service Executive. The amendment proposed by the Senator makes the correct reference relative to the current situation. I therefore accept it.

Seanad: Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (17 May 2005)

Tony Killeen: Senator McDowell is perfectly correct. There are several enactments, some going back not only to the last century but to the previous one, which ought to have been repealed as a result of the 1989 Act. Some work has been under way in the Department, but it has not been possible to complete it. That will now be done in the context of the new legislation rather than the 1989 Act. Considerable...

Seanad: Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (17 May 2005)

Tony Killeen: I assure Senator McDowell that the example of Army deafness that he gave is covered under the legislation as it stands. The very narrow focus of this exclusion is activities that occur in the course of operational duties and that could not reasonably be covered. It was not specifically raised in the other House, despite a very long debate on the matter, but I assure the Senator that the...

Seanad: Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (17 May 2005)

Tony Killeen: Senators Coghlan and Cummins are correct in this regard. As the legislation stands, it would appear that the obligation was on the employer to give information to employees of another employer, which could clearly be difficult in practice and would remove the obligation from the second employer, diminishing the health and safety requirements on him or her. I am therefore able to accept this...

Seanad: Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (17 May 2005)

Tony Killeen: There are obligations on both. The obligation on the main contractor is to give the information to the subcontractor, but the employee in question in this instance would be an employee of the subcontractor. In that circumstance, the obligation to give him or her the information lies with the latter, who is the direct employer. As the Bill stood, the middle person, the subcontractor, would...

Seanad: Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (17 May 2005)

Tony Killeen: The primary obligation regarding health and safety requirements is on the main contractor. Assuming that the staff were taken on by the main contractor rather than a sub-contractor, that contractor has a clear obligation to pass on the health and safety requirements to the agency that employs the staff. If we accept this amendment, the onus would be on the employer to ensure, either directly...

Seanad: Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (17 May 2005)

Tony Killeen: That is correct. The farmer is then the employer.

Seanad: Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (17 May 2005)

Tony Killeen: This amendment involves the deletion of section 17 and its replacement with a new section which is very similar. It arises from the directive on mobile sites which contains requirements that are better met with the new wording. It is also a result of HSA advice following consultation with its clients and the professional bodies. It will also have an impact on the new construction regulations...

Seanad: Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (17 May 2005)

Tony Killeen: The Bill places considerable emphasis on prevention. The risk assessment statement and the safety statement are very important tools. I am taken by the point made by Senator Cummins on the annual review. There is some evidence to suggest that people hang their hats on that provision and feel it is the only requirement of them. There are workplaces where far more frequent reviews are required....

Seanad: Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (17 May 2005)

Tony Killeen: Amendment No. 7 is a technical amendment which is consequential on amendment No. 8. The latter arises from a debate in the Dáil and serves to clarify that employers must bring the safety statement to the attention of new employees upon commencement of employment. The existing provision only required an employer to bring the safety statement to the attention of employees once annually. These...

Seanad: Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (17 May 2005)

Tony Killeen: As Senator Cummins says, this amendment will remove the obligation on employers to consult with both their employees and the safety representatives in every circumstance. I welcome the inclusion of the phrase "as appropriate" because there are circumstances in which it is entirely appropriate that an employer should consult with both. However, it has been pointed out to me that there are...

Seanad: Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (17 May 2005)

Tony Killeen: This is a technical amendment which requires the replacement of a euro sign with a pound sign. The monetary sum is a direct quote from the Redundancy Payments Act 1967 and should be corrected to indicate a pound sign rather than a euro sign.

Seanad: Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (17 May 2005)

Tony Killeen: This amendment was drafted following legal advice. Section 58 provides that the Minister must allow at least 21 days for consultation before he or she signs any new regulations into law. However, there may well be a period before the regulations are ready in any event. This amendment will ensure existing regulations under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 1989 remain in force until...

Seanad: Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (17 May 2005)

Tony Killeen: This is a technical amendment. There are circumstances in which the powers and functions of the Health and Safety Authority may be transferred to another person or body, for example, the Railway Procurement Agency in regard to railway accidents. This provision will enable such a transfer to take place. Amendment No. 14 is also a technical amendment to clarify that an inspector appointed under...