Martin Brady (Fianna Fail)

Transparency and public confidence are important. Senator Donohoe referred to the five-year provision for safety audits and I agree with him that technology moves on and practices and technology become obsolete that were up to date, for example two years previously. The HSA will be involved and the petroleum industry is high risk. We can all recall the Whiddy Island disaster. If regulations such as those proposed in the legislation were in place, that might have been averted. The HSA insists on regular monitoring but that is of little use by itself unless regular inspections are carried out to ensure the conditions set out in the Bill are adhered to. A safety code must be published as well.

The legislation will strengthen the safety of petroleum exploration activities both onshore and offshore. It is important that people are reassured about new procedures, which should be publicised to avoid ambiguity and confusion because that causes problems. People hear different stories from all quarters and they get confused and when one gets into the confusion business, that can lead to aggression and so on. I welcome the legislation. Safety is important to all of us and I appreciate the questions asked by Senator Donohoe.