Tony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 44 and 78 together.

Article 10 of the Labour Inspection Convention 1947 provides that the number of labour inspectors shall be sufficient to secure the effective discharge of the duties of the inspectorate and shall be determined with due regard for the importance of the duties which inspectors have to perform, in particular; the number, nature, size and situation of the workplaces liable to inspection; the number and classes of workers employed in such workplaces; the number and complexity of the legal provisions to be enforced; the material means placed at the disposal of the inspectors; and the practical conditions under which visits of inspection must be carried out in order to be effective.

The ratio of labour inspectors to the workforce shows a marked improvement over the past ten years from one inspector for every 150,000 people at work in 1996 to one for every 67,000 at work at the end of 2005. This is against an increase of over 500,000 in the workforce in the same period.

The assignment of previously announced additional labour inspectors was completed in November 2005. That brought the complement of serving inspectors to 31. The increase in staffing represents almost a doubling of the number of labour inspectors in the last two years.

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment circulated a discussion document, Mandate and Resourcing of the Labour Inspectorate, to the social partners in early 2005. That document was the basis for further consideration by the employment rights compliance group, ERCG. The ERCG, which comprised representatives of the social partners, including the CIF and SIPTU, together with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, the Department of the Taoiseach and the Department of Finance, has completed its report. The report, together with the resourcing of the labour inspectorate and options to enhance the effectiveness of our employment rights compliance regime, were considered in the social partnership discussions which concluded recently.

A major package of measures has been agreed by the parties, including the establishment of a new, statutory office dedicated to employment rights compliance, a trebling in the number of labour Inspectors, greater co-ordination among organisations concerned with compliance, new requirements in respect of record keeping, enhanced employment rights awareness activity, the introduction of a new and more user-friendly system of employment rights compliance, increased resourcing of the system and higher penalties for non-compliance with employment law.

The number of labour inspectors will be progressively increased from 31 to 90 by end 2007, as part of an initiative to increase the staffing resources of the employment rights bodies generally. Inspectors will be specially selected and trained and will be deployed on a regionalised basis. In addition, the new office will be provided with legal, accounting and other administrative support to ensure its effective functioning.

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