Madam Speaker, with regard to part (a) of the question, I am informed that the safety of hoists and lifts at places of work is governed by Section 53 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act 2005 (OSHA) as well as the Occupational Safety and Health of Lift at Work Regulation 2012, while the safety of escalators at places of work is governed by Section 54 of the same Act. As per the provisions of Section 53 and 54 of OSHA, every lift and escalator should be examined by a registered machinery inspector who is a registered professional engineer registered at my Ministry and at least once every six months, he has to file an original report with the National Occupational Safety and Health Department of my Ministry. In accordance with Section 62 of OSHA, it is the duty of a registered machinery inspector to inform in writing the employer or self-employed person or owner as the case may be, immediately after having completed an examination that such equipment is unsuitable for use if the nature of any defect is likely to adversely affect the continued safe use of that equipment. Madam Speaker, following the very unfortunate incident at Grand Baie, La Croisette, involving a travelator, my Ministry is considering measures to be taken to improve the safety in the use of escalators, lifts and travelators. We are considering a review of the existing Occupational Safety and Health of Lift at Work Regulation together with the Occupational

72 Safety and Health Safety of Escalators at Work Regulations. We are setting up a technical committee, and we will hold discussions with the various stakeholders. I would here like to point out that one of the shortcomings that my Ministry has detected while carrying out these investigations in the inquiry in Grand Baie, La Croisette is that some of these escalators and the travelators – because it was a travelator, not an escalator – tapis roulant – they did not have automatic sensors, sensors that will stop the machine automatically throughout the travelators. They have it at the beginning; they have it at the end; they do not have it all along. They have a manually operated switch, an emergency switch at the beginning and at the end of the travelators, but they do not have it throughout the travelators. So, this is one thing that we are also going to take up with the representative of the manufacturers to see how they can improve the safety of these travelators/escalators. Madam Speaker, with regard to part (b) of the question, I wish to inform the House that for the period of 25 November to 12 December of this year, officers of my Ministry carried out 29 visits in relation to the use of lifts and escalators at places of work, including shopping malls, where they issued 19 notices and established 10 contraventions. Inspections regarding the use of lifts and escalators at other places of work are ongoing. I further wish to inform the House that a total of 3,855 visits at workplaces have been carried out by officers of my Ministry for the period from January 2023 to November 2024. During visits at places of work, officers of my Ministry have ensured that employers are complying with the provisions of current legislation, including provisions pertaining to lifts and escalators.

Thank you, hon. Minister. The hon. Fourth Member of Port Louis North and Montagne Longue is not here. I suppose he will get a written reply. Hon. Third Member for Rivière des Anguilles and Souillac! MOLNUPIRAVIR CAPSULES – PROCUREMENT – INQUIRY

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