Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Of the fleet, 95% - 165 vessels - has been inspected. This entailed 239 inspections. There are 181 whitefish vessels of over 15 m in length, but only 174 of these are operational. On this basis, 95% of the target fleet had been inspected by the end of 2017. The objective of WRC inspections is to determine compliance with a range of employment rights, entitlements and obligations, including those relating to minimum wage rates, the payment of wages, employment records and terms of employment, as well as to work with employers in order to address compliance issues, including the payment of unpaid wages arising from contraventions. The enforcement of hours of work and rest requirements in the fishing industry is undertaken by authorised officers of the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. WRC inspectors enforce the Employment Permits Acts and, in the fishing industry, the atypical working permission scheme, which regulates and controls the employment of non-EEA nationals within the State.

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