Paul Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I propose an amendment to the Order of Business that No. 18 be taken before No. 1. It is a Bill which I wish to introduce to amend the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 to facilitate the establishment of a farm safety agency and define its function and role. The Cathaoirleach and Senator Conway spearheaded a very good report in the Houses on farm safety, but, through no fault of theirs, like many other initiatives, it now sits on the shelf. I tried to raise the issue of farm safety to have it included in the work programme of the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine, but I was told that it was the wrong committee, as the HSA came within the remit of the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation. That was when I realised there was a need for a dedicated agency to collaborate with and control all of the great agencies that were doing fantastic work such as the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Teagasc, the farmers' organisations, the HSA and many private NGOs which are doing admirable work. There is, however, nobody to pull all of it together and certain areas of the country are being omitted. I will not go into the details of the Bill at this early juncture, but I hope that, when it is brought back on the various Stages in the House, we can have a good, open and frank debate and that people will see the importance of the agency. Last year there were 24 deaths on Irish farms. While it is a sector that only provides 5% of the workforce, it accounted for 50% of fatalities. I look forward to everybody's input and support.