Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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196. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of unannounced Health and Safety Authority inspections in approved meat processing plants in each of the past five years to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25612/22]

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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197. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of unannounced Health and Safety Authority inspections in approved meat processing plants in each of the past five years to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25612/22]

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) recorded inspections according to the NACE sector in which they took place. The relevant NACE sub sectors in this case are those relating to the “processing and preserving of meat and production of meat products”. The number of inspections for 2017 – May 2020 are as follows:

Following the introduction of the Return to Work Safely Protocol in May 2020 and subsequent updates to that Protocol throughout 2020 and 2021, the number of inspections that were undertaken by the HSA in approved Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) Meat Processing Plants (MPP) are set out below;

Health and Safety Authority inspections are predominantly made without prior notification. However, in some exceptional circumstances prior notification may be appropriate, for example, in support of Public Health management of an COVID-19 outbreak, advanced notification may be required for operational reasons.