Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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293. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the body responsible for the investigation of accidents at funfairs (details supplied). [37465/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Section 239 of the Planning and Development Act, 2000 places a statutory duty on organisers of funfairs and owners of fairground equipment to take such care as is reasonable for ensuring that persons at a funfair do not suffer injury or damage by reason of dangers arising from the funfair or associated activities. This legislation also requires that the owner of fairground equipment shall not make it available to the public unless such equipment has a valid certificate of safety.

The organiser of a funfair is required to give notice of the event to the relevant local authority and such notice is to be accompanied by a valid certificate of safety.

In circumstances where the above provisions in relation to notice and valid certificates of safety have not been complied with, the legislation provides that the relevant local authority may serve notice requiring the cessation of the fairground/funfair operations.

The planning legislation does not assign responsibility to a specific body to investigate accidents at funfairs; however, provisions in criminal justice and safety, health and welfare at work legislation provide a range of responsibilities and roles for investigation of accidents.