Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 49:

In page 52, to delete lines 31 to 36.

This section deals with fees. I recognise it is not the Minister's intention to introduce fees but the legislation enables a successor to do so and, therefore, we have to address that possibility. Research carried out in Britain by the Citizens Advice Bureau found that seven out of ten potentially successful cases that employees could have taken against their employers did not proceed following the introduction of a fee system. Between October 2013 and March 2014, there was a decrease of 73% in the number of cases being taken compared to the previous year. One example identified in the research involved a man who worked as a kitchen porter for 40 hours per week for more than two months and was thereby entitled to holiday pay of less than £300. He abandoned his case after being told that his fee for accessing the tribunal would be £390. In other words, he would have incurred a net loss if he had accessed the structures designed to vindicate his rights.

It is unlikely that the Minister will still be in his current position 15 months from now.

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