Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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639. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if she has had discussions with the Health and Safety Authority and Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government regarding progress on the current review under way on aspects of legislation relating to regulation of fairground equipment and funfairs and specific legislative provisions relating to fairground equipment. [24561/17]

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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The Health and Safety Authority is the national statutory body with responsibility for ensuring that the provisions on workplace health and safety in the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, 2005 are implemented so that those affected by work activity are protected from work-related injury and ill health. The 2005 Act places a range of duties on undertakings and individuals to ensure as far as reasonably practicable, the safety, health and welfare at work of employees.

The Health and Safety Authority does not have any statutory responsibility for ensuring the health and safety of users of fairground equipment nor has it any role in the regulation of public safety where the operation of funfair equipment used by members of the public is concerned.

Following correspondence between myself and Minister Coveney on foot of my reply to the Deputy's Parliamentary Question of the 9th February, a meeting has taken place between officials from both Departments along with representatives from the Health and Safety Authority during which respective roles and responsibilities were discussed.

The legislation in this area is within the remit of the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government. Officials from my Department and the Health and Safety Authority will continue to engage with that Department on any issues arising that relate to the legislative remit of the Health and Safety Authority.