John Carty (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State back to the House. He certainly has been busy in bringing forward legislation or motions to this House. The Chemicals (Amendment) Bill 2010 is important because its main purpose is to meet European Union obligations to implement and enforce certain European Union regulations. These include the European Union regulation on the classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures known as the CLP regulation, a replacement European Union regulation on the export and import of dangerous chemicals implementing the Rotterdam Convention, as well as other technical amendments to these two EU regulations and to the EU REACH and detergent regulations. There also are some minor technical changes to the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005.

The Government is anxious, and it is of importance for our industry, to meet the CLP notification deadline. Many companies in Ireland employ graduates and manufacture a wide range of chemical and pharmaceutical products. Eight of the top ten companies in the world have operations in Ireland. They have spent much capital investment during the past year alone. Ten of the top-selling drugs are manufactured in Ireland. A total of €44 billion worth of product was exported in 2009, which constitutes more than half of total national exports and Ireland is the largest exporter of medicines in the world. A total of 25,000 people is employed by the Irish pharmaceutical and chemical industry, while another 25,000 are employed in the provision of services to the sector. As a huge proportion of those employed are third level graduates, it is of great importance to our economy.

The Minister of State is aware, coming from County Mayo, that "regulation" has become a dirty word in Ireland. When people hear the word, it means more red tape, bureaucracy and paperwork for companies. In future, both Houses should have ample opportunity to discuss the regulations and perhaps point a way towards employing more common sense, rather then reams of paperwork that have little meaning but great cost to business and industry. I acknowledge and realise there must be stringent rules where chemicals are involved. Coming from Ballina, the Minister of State is aware of the importance of regulating the manufacture and transportation of chemicals.

While I commend the Bill, I have one or two reservations about it. I note that the Health and Safety Authority will have a dedicated help desk to provide information and assistance for manufacturers and importers in meeting their obligations. I welcome this. With regard to section 4, will the Minister of State provide more detail about the responsibility of the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food for pesticide and detergent regulations?