Results 541-560 of 2,815 for speaker:Tony Killeen

Seanad: Employees (Provision of Information and Consultation) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (12 Oct 2005)

Tony Killeen: It may not deal with an issue it raises. If it does, I will accept it on Report Stage. Amendment No. 62 is a technical amendment to introduce consistency throughout the Bill. There is no provision for appeals to the Labour Court in the Bill — it provides only for disputes to be referred. On amendment No. 55, I am proposing a role for the Labour Relations Commission. The purpose of the...

Seanad: Employees (Provision of Information and Consultation) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (12 Oct 2005)

Tony Killeen: This amendment provides for the appointment of inspectors and proposes the inclusion of a new fairly long section in the Bill, which is similar to other sections in other legislation. It provides power for the Minister to appoint inspectors for the purpose of the Bill. It also lists the powers of the inspectors so appointed and includes the power to make such examination or inquiry as may be...

Seanad: Employees (Provision of Information and Consultation) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (12 Oct 2005)

Tony Killeen: It was initially believed that sufficient powers were in place to carry out whatever inspections might be needed. Subsequently, it was decided that provision should be made in the Bill to provide directly for inspectors. It is not necessarily the case that an inspector should be provided exclusively for this purpose. However, the advice is that whatever inspectorate is employed would need to...

Seanad: Employees (Provision of Information and Consultation) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (12 Oct 2005)

Tony Killeen: This, as already stated, will initially serve as an enabling provision. It will allow the Minister of the day to designate officers to follow up complaints that might be made as regards the information and consultation requirements. At this stage, I am not in a position to say exactly what this might entail. However, it is really important to provide for it in the legislation so that the...

Seanad: Employees (Provision of Information and Consultation) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (12 Oct 2005)

Tony Killeen: That is correct.

Seanad: Employees (Provision of Information and Consultation) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (12 Oct 2005)

Tony Killeen: Amendments Nos. 64 to 67, inclusive, are technical and ensure that offences provided for in the new section 18 are linked to the penalty and prosecution proceedings provided in the rest of the Bill. They arise from the provisions of section 18.

Seanad: Employees (Provision of Information and Consultation) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (12 Oct 2005)

Tony Killeen: This amendment involves the insertion of a new section 20 and arises from EU Council Directive No. 2001/23/EC of 12 March 2001. It relates to the safeguarding of employees rights in the event of transfers of undertakings or businesses or parts thereof. In all, a total of nine optional provisions arose from that requirement. Only one of these has been agreed with the social partners in respect...

Seanad: Employees (Provision of Information and Consultation) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (12 Oct 2005)

Tony Killeen: The Senators are somewhat at odds as regards the two amendments. On amendment No. 70, the Bill imposes an obligation on employers not to unreasonably withhold consent to proposals from employees as regards the forum's meeting arrangements. That ties in with Senator McDowell's requirement that they should meet more frequently than twice a year. On that point, a key qualification is that in...

Seanad: Employees (Provision of Information and Consultation) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (12 Oct 2005)

Tony Killeen: It is important to bear in mind that the Bill provides for methods of disseminating information and receiving feedback other than meetings. I regret it is necessary to include a provision requiring that two meetings be held each year because it is unduly prescriptive and runs counter to the ethos we are trying to create in the workplace. It is not unreasonable to qualify this requirement by...

Seanad: Employees (Provision of Information and Consultation) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (12 Oct 2005)

Tony Killeen: Perhaps the inspector likes the number.

Seanad: Employees (Provision of Information and Consultation) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (12 Oct 2005)

Tony Killeen: I acknowledge the concerns raised regarding the provision of information and consultation on matters which do not fall within the direct competence of Irish management. It is interesting that the directive owes its origins to cases of this nature which arose in Belgium involving a French company and France involving a British company. While these cases had transnational implications, they...

Seanad: Employees (Provision of Information and Consultation) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (12 Oct 2005)

Tony Killeen: I should have referred to this amendment when I dealt with an earlier new section proposed by Senator McDowell. The amendment seeks to limit the obligation on employers to provide financial resources to members of the forum to assist them to perform their duties. It is reasonable that the employer provide such financial resources and the requirement does not impose an unduly onerous...

Seanad: Employees (Provision of Information and Consultation) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (12 Oct 2005)

Tony Killeen: It puts me in bad humour to read about polls and returning officers. I am advised the amendment is not necessary. The wording used in the published text has been used in previous legislation, for example, the Transnational Information and Consultation of Employees Act, and has not presented any difficulty. When a mechanism has worked previously one tends to place some faith in it.

Written Answers — Offshore Exploration: Offshore Exploration (13 Oct 2005)

Tony Killeen: I understand that a case involving the above named company is before the Labour Court to be heard shortly. The Labour Court is an independent statutory body and acts independently in carrying out its functions. I am therefore not at liberty to discuss individual cases that are due to be heard by the court.

Written Answers — Bullying in the Workplace: Bullying in the Workplace (18 Oct 2005)

Tony Killeen: In August 2004, my predecessor, Deputy Fahey, established an expert advisory group on workplace bullying, the terms of reference of which were to advise and report on the effectiveness of measures relating to the prevention of workplace bullying, the identification of improvements in procedures and how to address the contribution made by bullying to the incidence of workplace stress. In May...

Written Answers — EU Directives: EU Directives (18 Oct 2005)

Tony Killeen: Under the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment's Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, which commenced on 1 September last, the Health and Safety Authority is the State body charged with overall responsibility for administration, enforcement and promotion of workplace health and safety. Proposed draft regulations entitled European Communities (Control of Major Accident...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (18 Oct 2005)

Tony Killeen: The process of developing proposals for new regulations under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, which came into operation on 1 September 2005, has commenced in respect of new general application regulations and new construction regulations. The Health and Safety Authority is undertaking a public consultation process on the general application regulations. These proposed...

Quarterly National Household Survey: Statements (Resumed). (19 Oct 2005)

Tony Killeen: I thank the Deputies for their contributions. This has been an important debate, not least because population and migration are not issues we consider every day. These CSO figures show Ireland at a turning point. They also give us cause to reflect on how we should build a sustainable future for both citizens and business. I am not convinced that it is useful in this context to distinguish...

Written Answers — Employment Action Plan: Employment Action Plan (19 Oct 2005)

Tony Killeen: The Pathways programme is a two week group guidance programme available to clients, where appropriate, who are referred to FÁS by the Department of Social and Family Affairs under the national employment plan preventative strategy. The aim of the programme is to identify the most appropriate development pathway for each client to assist them to enter or re-enter the labour market. The...

Written Answers — Health and Safety Regulations: Health and Safety Regulations (25 Oct 2005)

Tony Killeen: Under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, the Health and Safety Authority is the State body charged with overall responsibility for administration, enforcement and promotion of workplace safety and health. Matters arising from this responsibility are, therefore, a day-to-day function of the authority. I understand that a written complaint was received by the Health and Safety...