Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 407: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if it is his view that providing grant funding to the National Irish Safety Organisation gives them an unfair competitive advantage over other providers of safety training; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3263/08]

Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Department made allocations of €100,000 in 2006 and €75,000 in 2007 to the National Irish Safety Organisation (NISO). There is provision for a further €100,000 in the Department's Estimate for 2008. NISO is a not for profit registered charity, headed up by a voluntary tripartite Executive supported by a small full time administrative unit. It has a part-time network of trainers whose main occupation is working in a safety capacity in industry and it provides safety services in eight regions of the country: The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 requires that all actors in the workplace be more safety aware and assigns specific responsibilities to them. Training is vital to achieving this and can be very effectively delivered via the low cost model employed by NISO. Following a strategic review, it's financial position would not allow it to expand its training activities and the Department has provided assistance. This assistance is not to give NISO an unfair competitive advantage but is to assist the restructuring of the organisation and therefore does not act as a subsidy to the provision of training with which NISO also competes with other organisations in the marketplace.