The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney T.D. has announced a joint initiative by his Department and the State Claims Agency [SCA] to launch a health and safety risk management system in the Department. This system is in accordance with the internationally recognised Occupational Health and Safety OHSAS Standard 18001:2007. The system promotes and ensures a consistent approach to health and safety risk management across the Department.

Attending the joint launch was the Director of the SCA, Mr. Ciarán Breen and also representatives from the Risk Management Unit of the State Claims Agency which is part of the National Treasury Management Agency.

Commenting at the launch today the Minister said “I am confident that my Department will strive hard to maintain the standard through their ongoing commitment to the delivery of a quality service not alone for its customers but also for all employees in this Department. The Department is the first to implement a complete health and safety risk management system across all of the Department’s operations. As the Department responsible for the promotion and development of agriculture, food and the marine including rural development in Ireland we are leading the wider agricultural sector by example by putting health and safety to the fore in our activities.”

The State Claims Agency and the Department’s Health and Safety Section have worked very closely with all units of the Department in the preparation of this comprehensive Health and Safety Risk Management System. This has created a better appreciation of the wide range of safety issues involved in this undertaking and this continued relationship is essential in guiding my Department to success.

Editors Notes:-

The National Treasury Management Agency [NTMA] is a State body which operates with a commercial remit to provide asset and liability management services to Government and is designated as the State Claims Agency when performing the claims and risk management functions delegated to it under the National Treasury Management Agency (Amendment) Act 2000. The SCA’s principal objectives are:

• To ensure that the State’s liabilities in relation to personal injury and property damage claims, and the expenses of the SCA in relation to their management, are contained at the lowest achievable level.
• To implement targeted personal injury and property damage risk work programmes to mitigate litigation risk, in State authorities and healthcare enterprises, in order to reduce the costs of future litigation against the State.

The NTMA reports directly to the Minister for Finance in the performance of its State Claims Agency functions. Information on the SCA’s activities and its financial statements are included in the NTMA Annual Report and Accounts.

View Press Release as a PDF:  DAFMPR 70/2014 (pdf 690Kb) 

Date Released: 09 May 2014