Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I again thank Senator Ward for raising this issue. I will certainly talk to the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, who is sorry she could not be here today, and to the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, about it. I might not be in a position to convince her but I have no doubt that, with the arguments he has just put to me, the Senator will be able to if he gets a chance. I will encourage her to take some time to listen to this debate and perhaps to meet the Senator to tease the issue out. It is certainly worth looking at.

The Senator flagged an issue in the area of agriculture. We are making changes with regard to aspects of farm safety, particularly in respect of off-road vehicles on farms. There are concerns in that area. We are working with the farm partnerships, through the Health and Safety Authority, to make changes and bring in extra training, mainly in the area of quad bikes. There will be lead-in time for this over the next year or two. This is an area in which we can prevent unnecessary loss of life. We need an ongoing conversation about safety. From the Senator's contribution, I know he totally buys into the safety aspect. It is a matter of how to achieve it. I will urge the Minister of State to engage with him on this matter.