Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 105 and 117 together.

Under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Construction) Regulations 2013, craft and general construction workers, persons undertaking on-site security work and persons or classes of persons as may be prescribed by the relevant Minister are required to hold a safety awareness registration card (Safe Pass card). In March 2020 the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation amended these regulations to extend the expiry dates of valid Safe Pass cards due to expire after the 1st March 2020 for the duration of the Covid-19 emergency period.

Safe Pass training and assessment delivery has mirrored construction sector activity during the COVID-19 period and has now fully recommenced. Given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the running of face to face programmes is subject to adherence with the SOLAS Standard Operational Pandemic Containment Guidelines. These Guidelines include a reduction in the maximum numbers of learners who may physically attend a course. In a number of cases this has led to a temporary increase in course costs for individual learners.

Safe Pass training is delivered by SOLAS Approved Training Organisations and tutors. These are private providers and neither the Department nor SOLAS have a role in the setting of fees or in influencing pricing structure within the market place. There is a €32 fee payable to SOLAS for the processing, manufacturing and distribution of Safe Pass cards which is unchanged and is generally included in the overall price for attending a course.

SOLAS is continuing to work on the development of an alternative delivery model which is equitable with existing Safe Pass course delivery in being accessible to all eligible workers, providing real time course participant supports and ensuring assessment integrity.