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

The proposed amendment is not appropriate. The new workplace relations commission, WRC, will operate to the highest standards and appropriate and comprehensive training will be provided to all officers of the commissioner, including the adjudication officers. The workplace relations adjudication service will consist of a diverse group of adjudicators, comprising experienced industrial relations and HR practitioners, employment lawyers and civil servants with appropriate skills and experience.

On the establishment of the WRC, the current cohort of equality officers and rights commissioners will be appointed as WRC adjudicators. These will be supplemented by a panel of external adjudicators appointed by the Minister. I have decided that the external panel of adjudicators will be appointed from three different streams, a legal stream, a HR stream and an IR stream, with equal numbers being appointed from each. The Public Appointments Service, PAS, undertook and completed a selection process in December 2014 for the external panel of the WRC adjudicators and has forwarded a list to me of individuals considered suitable for appointment to the panel.

All successful applicants will be required to undergo an accredited adjudicator training programme, to be delivered by the National College of Ireland, which commenced on 16 January 2015. The programme will run for 20 days, until the end of March. There will then be an examination and assessment and only those who successfully complete the programme and pass the assessment will be formally appointed as WRC adjudicators and assigned cases. While it is essential that the adjudication officers of the workplace relations commission are appropriately and well trained, the question of the content of training to be provided to them is an operational matter for the commission and not a matter appropriately included in primary legislation. Therefore, I am not willing to agree to the amendment.

I have the modules of the courses and they deal with all the relevant issues. We will also retain the experience of equality officers within the service. Therefore, I believe the way we are tackling this will provide adequate capacity to deal with cases.

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