Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 47: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of labour inspectors employed by the National Employment Rights Authority; the number of labour inspectors available for assignment on normal duties; the number of labour inspectors in training following recruitment; the position regarding the recruitment campaign to increase the labour inspectorate to 90 inspectors; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11389/10]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The National Employment Rights Authority was established on an interim basis in February 2007. NERA has the following three functional areas: the communications and strategic services unit, which operates an information service ion employment rights legislation and promotes an awareness of employment rights; the inspection services unit, which is responsible for monitoring and enforcing compliance with certain employment conditions for all categories of workers in Ireland, including migrant workers; and the legal services unit, which amongst other things deals with the enforcement of awards by the Labour Court and the Employment Appeals Tribunal through the courts and prosecutes cases on behalf of the inspection services in situations where employers fail to comply with certain employment rights legislation.

NERA currently has 116 staff across five locations, including a team of 69 inspectors. These inspectors are all available for assignment to inspection duties. No inspector is currently in training. Since NERA's establishment, 22 inspectors have left as a result of promotion or internal and external departmental transfers and re-assignments and this has brought the number of inspectors to its current level of 69. The moratorium on recruitment and promotions in the public service has had an impact on NERA in common with all other public bodies.

Providing value for money is a key focus of NERA's operations. In much of its activity in 2009, it managed to increase or maintain service levels despite reduced resources. Its telephone information service provided information to more than 150,000 people in 2009, an increase of over 30% on the 2008 figure. Approximately 129,500 calls were dealt with directly by NERA's experienced information officers and the agency's website, www.employmentrights.ie, recorded more than 1.5 million webpage impressions during 2009. NERA has also played in important role in addressing the backlog in my Department's redundancy payments section.

Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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Would the Minister of State not agree that the moratorium is having an impact? We were worn out by the talk of the former Taoiseach, Deputy Bertie Ahern, and former Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Martin, on the 90 inspectors but we still have not reached that target due to the moratorium.

Does the Minister of State agree that NERA should solely focus on significant breaches of compliance and that it should assist employers to remedy relatively minor issues? Where an employer and an employee have reached a mutual and fair understanding regarding employment issues, due cognizance should be afforded to such agreements by inspectors. Too often, however, a sledge-hammer is used to crack a nut. While all of us would ascribe to the idea that employment legislation exists to protect employees, if a fair understanding is reached between employer and employees there is little point in having NERA issue threats of closure or demands for back pay. Compromises may have been reached in regard to days off in order to facilitate part-time workers in particular. I hope NERA and other agencies take cognizance of our new economic circumstances.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I concur with Deputy Penrose. We are at present amending the law by way of the Industrial Relations (Amendment) Bill 2009 and I will take the Deputy's comments as an indication of support.

Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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I have never been found wanting when the proposition is reasonable.

Conor Lenihan (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy is tuning up for coalition.