Safety, Health and Welfare (Offshore Installations) Act, 1987

Information to Minister.

6.—(1) The owner of an offshore installation to which this Act applies shall supply the Minister with such returns, statistics and other information relating to the safety, health and welfare of persons employed on, in or in the neighbourhood of the installation as the Minister shall from time to time require.

(2) (a) Information supplied to the Minister pursuant to this section shall not, without the consent in writing of the person by whom it is supplied, be published or otherwise disclosed by the Minister or any officer or servant of the Minister except to a Minister of the Government, other than the Minister, or An Chomhairle Oiliúna, and a disclosure authorised by this subsection shall be made if, and only if, the Minister is satisfied that the disclosure is necessary for the proper discharge of the functions of the Minister of the Government to whom it is proposed to be made or of An Chomhairle Oiliúna, as may be appropriate.

(b) Where a disclosure authorised by this subsection is duly made, its publication shall for the purposes of the law of defamation enjoy qualified privilege.

(3) Nothing in this section shall prevent the disclosure of information—

(a) for the purposes of any proceedings for an offence under this Act or any report of any such proceedings, or

(b) in the form of a summary of similar returns, statistics or other information supplied to the Minister pursuant to this section, provided the summary is framed so as not to enable information so supplied by or particulars relating to a particular person or relating to a particular offshore installation to be ascertained from the summary.