Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 477: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if all the portable electrical equipment in her Department and subsidiary or grant aided companies have portable appliance test certificates as required by the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulation S.I. No. 299 of 2007; if not, the reason for same; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that a PAT must be carried out on all moveable electrical equipment in offices, centres and so on, to ensure the safety and welfare of both employees and employers; if her further attention has been drawn to the fact that records of all such tests must be kept for at least five years to allow the Health and Safety Authority to carry out random spot checks and that insurance companies and underwriters are already seeking proof of compliance prior to renewal of policies; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6462/10]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The statutory requirement is that equipment "exposed to conditions causing deterioration liable to result in danger" and with a rated voltage exceeding 125 volts, requires testing. Typical office equipment used in the Department would not fit into this category. The Department has the matter under review, however, having regard to the degree of risk involved and will put a more formal system of inspection in place if this is proven to be necessary. In the meantime, the Department has in place a system of risk assessment designed to identify at an early stage equipment which is not fit for purpose and which should either be taken completely out of service or repaired.

With regard to agencies operating under the aegis of the Department or entities to which it gives grant aid, implementation of the provisions of the regulation is a matter for the relevant agencies as part of their normal operational activities. In accordance with Department of Finance Public Financial Procedures, the Exchequer carries its own insurance and the State Claims Agency manages delegated claims and counterclaims on behalf of the Department.