Richard O'Donoghue urges local watchdog over Ishgairn safety
Richard O'Donoghue raised concerns about Ishgairn's Health and Safety practices and called for local authorities, councillors and TDs to act as a watchdog to ensure compliance. He said Ishgairn employees have attended plants without risk assessments, method statements or confined space training and urged better accountability.
Health and Safety concerns
Richard O'Donoghue described reported failures at Ishgairn - including no risk assessments, no method statements and no confined space training - and said these lapses are putting people who work for Ishgairn at risk.
Local oversight requested
He urged that local authorities, councillors and TDs be enabled to act as a watchdog over Ishgairn to ensure compliance and to maintain high standards for water services.
Accountability and parliamentary questions
He said Ishgairn currently does not have a responsibility in relation to answering parliamentary questions and must improve communication with Keown Court and Orochthus members so elected representatives can provide information to constituents.
Engagement with the minister and next steps
He thanked those who raised the issue, said he will give consideration to the points made and will speak with the minister. He added he is engaging with Ishgairn on improving communication and will return with specifics on the compliance concerns.
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My concerns over having a watchdog over Ishgairn, I want the local authorities to be a watchdog over it. It has been reported under Health and Safety that Ishgairn employees have turned up to plants. No risk assessments, no method statements, no confined space training. This is putting people under Ishgairn that work for Ishgairn at risk. So we want the watchdog from the likes of the councillors and the TDs to have a watchdog over them, that they are compliant, that they make sure that our water services are kept up to a high standard. We need to keep that connection. I want the local authorities to make sure that we have a watchdog over and they can actually directly report to you to make sure that compliance is kept. But at the moment under Health and Safety there are massive concerns there. I want to thank you for raising the issue, Deputy O'Donoghue, and I want to not give any jerk response to it other than to say that I will certainly give consideration to what you have said, but I will also talk to Minister Brown in relation to this. I do think there is a broader issue, if I can raise it, in relation to the Deputy's question around Ishgairn and Ishgairn's accountability to elected representatives. Your colleague and leader, Deputy Collins, raised this last week. I have discussed it with the Minister. I am not sure why Ishgairn – there is not a criticism of the Keown Court or the Orochthus, but at the moment Ishgairn does not have a responsibility in relation to answering parliamentary questions. That is not to my satisfaction. They need to be much better at communicating with Orochthus members, because we are all going back to our constituencies trying to provide information. So I know we are looking and engaging with Ishgairn in relation to how we improve that level, but I will be back to you on the specifics of your issue.
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