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

The Bill makes adequate provision for an increase in the staffing of the Labour Court and for temporary appointments to the court to cover certain absences of a full-time officer or member. There is no case to support the creation of a panel of temporary members. The Labour Court is bound to act judicially at all times and to avoid bias or the perception thereof. When the new appointments to the Labour Court envisaged in the Bill have been made, the court will consist of 13 officers or members. This will allow for a significantly increased number of combinations of personnel to deal with any particular case and thus considerably reduces the possibility of a division of the Labour Court having to recuse itself to avoid the perception of bias. For this reason I am not accepting the amendment. I am also establishing a new division of the Labour Court, with an extra deputy chair, and a second person who will have a roving brief. This will further increase the strength of the court.

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