Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 21 January 2026
96. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the budget for the Health and Safety Authority for the years 2020 to 2025, inclusive; the number of inspections carried out by the HSA in each of those years; the number of staff in place to carry out such inspections in each year, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5081/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Authority is primarily funded through an Exchequer Grant from my Department. In addition to its Exchequer Grant, the Authority’s resources are supplemented by its capacity to generate Own Resource Income (ORI) primarily through the activities of the Irish National Accreditation Board (INAB) and the Control of Major Accident Hazards involving Dangerous Substances (COMAH).
The table below details the Exchequer grant funding provided to the HSA each year from 2020 to 2025.
|
|
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
2025 |
|
Total exchequer allocation per published Rev (€m) |
20,502 |
24,755 |
26,471 |
28,909 |
32,785 |
34,757 |
It is important to note that while the Authority’s human resources include staff in both administration and inspector grades, not all staff classified under inspector grades are directly involved in conducting inspections.
Inspector grades comprise Grade I (senior inspectors), as well as Grade II and Grade III inspectors. However, staff in these grades undertake a variety of roles across the Authority’s legislative mandates, which encompass occupational health, occupational safety, chemicals, accreditation, and market surveillance of products.
The below table sets out the number of staff at each Inspector grade at the end of each respective year.
|
|
Q4 2020 |
Q4 2021 |
Q4 2022 |
Q4 2023 |
Q4 2024 |
Q4 2025 |
|
Inspector Grade I |
19 |
19 |
21 |
22 |
21 |
24 |
|
Inspector Grade II |
49 |
49 |
51 |
62 |
60 |
77 |
|
Inspector Grade III |
49 |
65 |
64 |
71 |
83 |
74 |
|
Total |
117 |
133 |
136 |
155 |
164 |
175 |
In addition to conducting general and specialist inspections, investigations, and accreditation assessments, inspector-grade staff may also contribute to policy development and implementation at the national, European, and international levels. As a result, the number of personnel in inspector grades does not directly correspond to those engaged exclusively in inspection activities, given that inspections constitute only one aspect of the Authority’s overall responsibilities.
The below table sets out the number of inspections carried out by the Authority each year from 2020 to 2025.
|
|
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
2025 |
|
Total HSA inspections conducted |
9,135 |
9,882 |
10,203 |
9,996 |
11,390 |
11,828* |
*The total number of inspections conducted in 2025 will be finalised in the HSA Annual Report 2025 when it is published later this year.
