Ms Fiona Ward:

The WRC is resourced. I have some statistics on the work of the WRC in 2020. I am trying to dig them out so I apologise for the delay.

It has 45 inspectors at the moment, divided into five teams. In 2019, they undertook 4,800 inspections and secured the recovery of some €3.9 million in unpaid wages. In 2020, many of the inspectors were involved with the return-to-work health and safety protocol and they carried out some compliance checks, but they also undertook approximately 7,680 workplace inspections, resulting in the repayment of some €1.7 million in unpaid wages.

In respect of migrant fishers, that scheme does not have anything to do with the employment permit regime and is managed by our colleagues under the atypical work scheme in the Department of Justice. The WRC works very closely with the other inspection bodies in regard to that area, including the Marine Survey Office, the Department of Justice and the Garda Síochána. They have inspected almost all vessels within the scope of the scheme – 169 out of 171 at this stage - and they say they maintain a risk-based inspection compliance regime which is informed by intelligence. That is what I can say on that issue. The resourcing of the WRC is always kept under review to make sure it is sufficiently resourced to undertake its role.