Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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78. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the funding available to the Farm Safety Partnership Advisory Committee; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48102/21]

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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The Farm Safety Partnership Advisory Committee is an advisory committee to the Board of the Health and Safety Authority (HSA). As an advisory committee the Farm Safety Partnership Advisory Committee itself is not funded directly. Costs associated with the work of the Committee are contained within the overall budget of the HSA.

At the beginning of the year, the HSA has estimated an expenditure of approximately €500,000 on specific agricultural sector initiatives throughout the year.

The Farm Safety Partnership Advisory Committee was established to involve all industry stakeholders in improving occupational safety and health in the Agricultural sector. The Committee is a consultative and advisory forum on the determination of the HSA’s priorities and work programme for the Agricultural Sector. It develops and agrees a national action plan, coordinating the actions of working groups and representative organisations, and, also, identifies, prioritises and progresses the key actions related to improving safety and health standards in the Agriculture Sector.

The Farm Safety Partnership Advisory Committee, and its working groups, are made up of representatives and experts from various relevant agricultural organisations including the Irish Farmers’ Association, Macra na Feirme, Association of Farm and Forestry Contractors in Ireland, Farm Relief Service, Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA) and Teagasc.

The work of the Committee is set out in Farm Safety Action Plans. In August 2021, the Health and Safety Authority published the current Farm Safety Action Plan 2021 – 2024. The aim of the new Farm Safety Action Plan is to reduce fatalities, serious injuries and ill health in the agriculture sector. Five critical areas for have been identified for attention:

- Behaviour, Education and Training

- Health and Vulnerable Persons

- Tractor, High Risk Machinery

- Livestock Handling

- Buildings, Work at Height

The HSA, through its Agricultural Policy Unit, provides practical assistance and support to achieve the goals and objectives contained within the Farm Safety Action Plan.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is also delivering initiatives to promote farm safety, particularly through the Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Schemes (TAMS II). A wide range of farm safety related investments are available which are grant-aided under the suite of seven TAMS measures. Grant aid of approximately €6.0 million has been spent on specific farm safety investments in TAMS II since the scheme opened in 2015.