Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will try to sum up this situation. The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection has responsibility for regulating some of our employment legislation, for example, employment rights regulations, the Low Pay Commission and the minimum wage. The Tánaiste's Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation has lead responsibility for employment legislation, workplace health and safety, equality, the WRC, the Labour Court and the Employment Appeals Tribunal. As such, two Departments are now crossing over labour policy, labour law and labour affairs.

It makes the situation a little bit more complex when there are two Government Departments dealing with the area. I have been asked to ask the Minister if any practitioners, groups or representatives in the area of employment, trade unions or workers' rights were consulted on the decision to split the area of labour affairs between two Departments.

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