Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 68: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if additional resources have been made available to the Health and Safety Authority to police the new regulations on the construction industry; if so, the way in which these extra resources will be deployed; if the unions or employers groups representing the construction industry were consulted on these new regulations; if so, the format of those consultations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32056/06]

Tony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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The new Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Construction) Regulations 2006 will come into effect on Monday 6th November 2006. The Health & Safety Authority has committed to carrying out over 7,000 inspections in the construction sector this year. On Monday last, 9th October, the Authority commenced a series of seminars and workshops aimed at getting the industry up-to-speed with the Regulations before the commencement date. These activities form part of the Authority's programme of work for 2006 and are catered for in its overall grant. Enforcement and advocacy are core functions of the Authority.

The proposals for the new Regulations came from the Construction Advisory Committee which operates under the auspices of the Authority and which includes representatives of the employee unions and employer organisations. The unions and employers are also represented on the Board of the Authority which considered the Regulations at length and approved them.

As part of the wider consultation process the Authority made a draft of the Regulations available on its website for 6 weeks, beginning in October 2005. An extensive range of responses were received and reviewed by both the Executive and the Board of the Authority. The Authority's staff and officials at the Department also met representatives of professional bodies in the construction sector and consulted widely with them on the proposals for the Regulations. I met with any who sought meetings.