Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

These amendments relate to the time limit, as the Deputy indicated. They seek to reduce the time period from 42 days, as provided for in the Bill, to 14 days.

The Bill seeks to standardise the time periods for appeals across the broad spectrum of employment rights legislation and provides for a 42 day appeal period for decisions of workplace relations commission, WRC, adjudicators and the Labour Court. This was the existing provision in respect of the Equality Tribunal, for example, and it is in accordance with the rules of court. The proposed amendments would not be consistent with the standardisation of time limits in employment rights legislation generally, which this Bill strives to achieve. This is regarded as a reasonable standard to allow someone who has had an adjudication to provide an assessment of it in the case of a compliance notice or a fixed payment notice. This is regarded as reasonable in terms of a procedure of this nature, which is of considerable significance in the case of those adjudicated against. I am not in a position to accept the amendment.