Results 1,361-1,380 of 2,815 for speaker:Tony Killeen

Written Answers — Equal Opportunities Employment: Equal Opportunities Employment (15 Nov 2006)

Tony Killeen: The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment is committed to addressing the needs of those with disabilities, and furthering the policy of mainstreaming services to help them to play a full and active part in society. The Sectoral Plan advanced by the Department in accordance with the provisions of the Disability Act 2005, which was published in July, 2006, outlines key initiatives to...

Written Answers — Legislative Programme: Legislative Programme (15 Nov 2006)

Tony Killeen: The following is a list of all employee protection legislation enacted by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment over the past seven years and the main provisions of each piece of legislation: Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Night Work and Shift Work) Regulations 2000 — S. I. No. 11 of 2000. The purpose of these Regulations is to give effect, in respect of night workers...

Written Answers — National Minimum Wage: National Minimum Wage (15 Nov 2006)

Tony Killeen: The number of breaches found of the National Minimum Wage Act over the past five years and the penalties imposed are set out in the tabular statement. The primary function of the Labour Inspectorate is to seek compliance and rectification of any breaches identified, including payment of any arrears due to employees. Inspectors pursue allegations of worker mistreatment and seek redress for...

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (15 Nov 2006)

Tony Killeen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 221 to 224, inclusive, together. The Department is fully committed to addressing the needs of those with disabilities, and furthering the policy of mainstreaming services to help them play a full and active part in Irish society. The Sectoral Plan of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment under the Disability Act 2005, outlines the Department's key...

Written Answers — Compulsory Retirement: Compulsory Retirement (16 Nov 2006)

Tony Killeen: There is no compulsory retirement age in employment rights legislation. Generally such legislation describes an employee as "a person of any age who has entered into or works under (or, where the employment has ceased, entered into or worked under) a contract of employment". In some employments, a "normal retirement age" exists for that employment only. In such cases, the normal age of...

Written Answers — Employment Legislation: Employment Legislation (21 Nov 2006)

Tony Killeen: The Protection of Employees (Fixed-Term Work) Act 2003 provides in relation to an employee who enters on a fixed-term contract of employment before the commencement of the Act on 14 July 2003 that if that employee is employed continuously on such a contract of employment for three continuous years, his or her contract of employment can only be renewed one more time on a fixed-term basis for...

Written Answers — Child Labour: Child Labour (22 Nov 2006)

Tony Killeen: I can advise the Deputy that EU State Aid rules do not include any conditions regarding the employment of persons in non-EU countries. It should also be borne in mind that any State Aid grants to companies in Ireland are paid solely in respect of the operations of the recipient company in the State. However, the Deputy can be assured that the State's development agencies are most unlikely to...

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (23 Nov 2006)

Tony Killeen: The question of providing appropriate education and training for low skilled and semi-skilled workers in the construction industry is kept under regular review and there are currently a number of research projects being conducted on the subject. First, the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs, which is made up of representatives of a range of interests concerned with future skills needs and...

Written Answers — Asbestosis Incidence: Asbestosis Incidence (28 Nov 2006)

Tony Killeen: The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Exposure to Asbestos) Regulations 2006 (S.I. No. 386 of 2006), which are enforced by the Health and Safety Authority, require that registered medical practitioners report any case of asbestosis or mesothelioma to the Health and Safety Authority, where he or she becomes aware of such a case. I am informed by the Health and Safety Authority that it has...

Written Answers — Industrial Disputes: Industrial Disputes (28 Nov 2006)

Tony Killeen: I propose to Questions Nos. 317 and 321 together. The Supported Employment Programme to which the deputy refers is delivered on behalf of FÁS by independent limited companies. These companies are not wholly owned subsidiaries of FÁS. FÁS provides funding for the delivery of the programme, which seeks to integrate persons with disabilities into the open labour market by providing job...

Written Answers — Industrial Disputes: Industrial Disputes (28 Nov 2006)

Tony Killeen: Two hundred and fifty-five employees were paid their statutory redundancy lump sums by the employer concerned on being made redundant between 5th of July 2002 and 28th March 2003. Rebate amounting to approximately €1.3 million was paid to the company out of the Social Insurance Fund on foot of these claims. During 2002, the Labour Court issued a recommendation and clarification aimed at...

Written Answers — Services for People with Disabilities: Services for People with Disabilities (28 Nov 2006)

Tony Killeen: The project referred to by the Deputy is a voluntary agency administering a project aimed at assisting adults with disabilities access employment. The project is funded by FÁS as a sponsor organisation under the FÁS Supported Employment Programme for people with disabilities, and is based in Ballymun, Dublin. The FÁS Supported Employment Programme is an open labour market initiative that...

Written Answers — National Minimum Wage: National Minimum Wage (28 Nov 2006)

Tony Killeen: The current national minimum wage is €7.65 per hour. In the national partnership agreement, Towards 2016, ICTU and IBEC agreed to make a joint recommendation to Government on a new minimum wage rate to be effective from 1 January, 2007. As no agreement was reached between ICTU and IBEC, ICTU has referred the matter to the Labour Court asking that the Court examine the national minimum wage...

Written Answers — Job Losses: Job Losses (28 Nov 2006)

Tony Killeen: As a result of trading difficulties in the poultry sector, in February 2005 Castlemahon Foods announced a restructuring plan which involved a reduction in staff numbers of 150 — down from 410 to 260. In May of that year, the company confirmed that workers at the company had accepted its redundancy offer by a large majority. Unfortunately, matters continued to decline into 2006 resulting...

Written Answers — Employment Rights: Employment Rights (5 Dec 2006)

Tony Killeen: Advances in communication technology are continuing to transform the lives of deaf people and have opened up employment opportunities that were once considered unattainable. Consequently, there are very few employment opportunities for which deaf job applicants would be unsuited. For example, webcams allow for sign language and/or lip reading communication at a distance. For persons with...

Written Answers — Employment Rights: Employment Rights (5 Dec 2006)

Tony Killeen: The Unfair Dismissals Acts 1977 to 2005 protect employees from being unfairly dismissed by laying down criteria by which dismissals are judged to be unfair and by providing an adjudication system and redress for an employee whose dismissal is found to be unfair. A claim for redress under the Acts may be submitted initially to either of the adjudicative bodies specified in the Acts i.e. a...

Written Answers — Job Losses: Job Losses (6 Dec 2006)

Tony Killeen: The number of collective redundancies notified to this Department from the beginning of 2002 to 30th November 2006 for Waterford City and County was 2077. A yearly breakdown is shown in the table. A collective redundancy occurs where the minimum number of employees employed in a company would be greater than 20 and the number of employees it is proposed to make redundant within that...

Financial Resolution No. 6: General (Resumed) (7 Dec 2006)

Tony Killeen: Tá áthas orm freisin go bhfuil deis agam caint ar an mbuiséad anseo anocht. This budget is responsible and sustainable and addresses the essential strategies required to ensure competitiveness. I am pleased that it addresses the regulatory and administrative burdens that posed a major problem for people in the small business sector. Some significant improvements have been made in that...

Financial Resolution No. 6: General (Resumed) (7 Dec 2006)

Tony Killeen: I have no doubt it was a good bit less.

Financial Resolution No. 6: General (Resumed) (7 Dec 2006)

Tony Killeen: In any event, it has enabled the Minister on this occasion to deliver on pension commitments many people said five years ago could not be delivered in ten years, let alone five years. That is something about which we are very pleased. It acknowledges the tremendous work done by old age pensioners both currently and historically. As Deputy Carty stated, there is improved provision for...