00:00The 180 vacant positions at the Labour ministry came up as a point of contention at the Standing
00:06Finance Committee's examination of the 2025 fiscal package.
00:12We have 91 with bodies and 89 without.
00:20So there's no attempt to fill the vacant positions and to promote those who are acting and so
00:30Yes, they are. We also have contract positions and we are in fact in tune with public administration
00:40and the whole revision of the public service and so on. So yes, we do have in mind to recruit
00:50aggressively next year to fill these vacant positions.
00:53Among those vacancies are 79 at the OSH board, another point of contention for Kuva South MP
01:00Rudranathan Dasing in light of the Paria tragedy which he believes may have been thwarted had
01:07there been sufficiently trained health and safety officers on staff.
01:11Do you think that there should be greater emphasis on the recruitment of health and safety
01:18inspectors in the context of focusing on deep sea diving and avoiding such a tragedy?
01:25I think you're really stretching all our goodwill this morning.
01:36I am not saying no, but member for Kuva South, it's a question for this exercise. I'm not saying
01:44what you're saying is not important. In any event, I rule that the question is out of order.
01:50A moot point challenged in Dasing.
01:53Madam Speaker, I think that we have to ventilate this. This is the place to ventilate.
02:01Occupational safety and health and recruitment of personnel.
02:06While member for Kuva South.
02:08Why my mic is being cut from making an intervention.
02:11I'm sure your mic is not being cut because I'm hearing you trying to
02:14talk above me. So I'm certain it's not anything with your mic.
02:19And I really, really regret that kind of imputation from that statement coming from you.
02:24I have ruled that the question is out of order.
02:27Off from the Paria tragedy, there were other points of reference for the opposition MP.
02:33Could you inform this house if indeed this shortage has impacted upon the agency's ability
02:45to complete its investigations into fatal accidents which occurred at Naikwan, Asilomital and Wasat?
02:55No. Let me just say that the agency is a big agency.
03:04And you may be referring to whether or not we have enough inspectors.
03:07And we do have sufficient inspectors.
03:10So do not take the 77 as only inspectors.
03:13There are people in HR.
03:14There are people in accounting.
03:16The ministry was allocated just over $411 million.
03:21Arvashi Tomori, Rippon Ryan, TV6 News.
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