Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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423. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if sector-specific task forces made up of key stakeholders will be considered to advice on the measures needed to be introduced to facilitate the safe opening of their business; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7476/20]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The national Return to Work Safely Protocol, is the result of a collaborative effort by the Health & Safety Authority (HSA), the Health Services Executive (HSE), Department of Business Enterprise and Innovation and the Department of Health. It is designed to help employers and workers in all sectors to put measures in place that will prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace. It is a stand-alone Protocol that has also been designed to enable the introduction of further specific measures for particular sectors or workplaces. It is a living document which will change to reflect public health advice.

The Protocol was developed following discussion and agreement at the Labour Employer Economic Forum (LEEF), which is the forum for high level dialogue between Government, Union and Employer representatives on matters of strategic national importance. The work has been overseen by the Department of the Taoiseach and the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation. Meetings of LEEF took place on 9 April and 24 April 2020. In addition to these Plenary meetings, a sub-group dealing specifically with development of the Protocol met on numerous occasions and there were also ongoing bilateral engagements between officials and the members of LEEF as the Protocol was being drafted and signed-off by all parties.

A high-level consultative stakeholder forum, under the aegis of LEEF, has now been established to oversee the implementation of the Protocol as the economy opens up in line with the Government’s Roadmap. As well as representatives from ITCU and Ibec, the forum includes membership from the Health and Safety Authority (HSA), the Health Services Executive (HSE), the Departments of Health; Agriculture Food and the Marine; Business, Enterprise and Innovation, and the Department of the Taoiseach. The first meeting of the Forum was on Friday the 22 of May.

Separately, in addition to the National Return to Work Safely Protocol, the Health and Safety Authority has now produced associated templates and checklists which have been prepared to help employers, business owners and managers to get their business up and running again and to also inform workers preventing the spread of Covid-19 in the workplace (see www.HSA.ie)

The National Standards Authority of Ireland has published guidance documents in connection with the Covid-19 pandemic including a COVID-19 Workplace Protection and Improvement Guide and a COVID-19 Retail Protection and Improvement Guide which are available on the NSAI website (see www.nsai.ie)