Results 4,981-5,000 of 12,378 for speaker:Louise O'Reilly

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Employment Permits (Consolidation and Amendment) Bill 2019 (16 Feb 2021)

Louise O'Reilly: I thank the officials for participating and providing us with the information. Has any consideration at all been given to the impact that improving workers' rights and the jobs would have on the capacity to recruit? Did they consider the introduction of a living wage in these areas and improving workers' rights, such as those pertaining to statutory sick pay, and legislating against...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Employment Permits (Consolidation and Amendment) Bill 2019 (16 Feb 2021)

Louise O'Reilly: What are the remuneration thresholds? Workers' rights and the living wage fall very firmly under the remit of the Department. Maybe Ms Ward could elaborate on those points.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Employment Permits (Consolidation and Amendment) Bill 2019 (16 Feb 2021)

Louise O'Reilly: The critical skills occupation list has been in existence since 2012. I am wondering about the oversight of that list. A decade after its creation, the same skills are on it. What is the level of engagement with the Department of Education? Surely there should be some focus on ensuring that occupations that do not need to be on the list, identified by analysing consistent need, come off...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Employment Permits (Consolidation and Amendment) Bill 2019 (16 Feb 2021)

Louise O'Reilly: I am conscious that the time is tight. I just wanted to know if occupations are coming off the list.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Employment Permits (Consolidation and Amendment) Bill 2019 (16 Feb 2021)

Louise O'Reilly: In ten years, how much movement happens?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Employment Permits (Consolidation and Amendment) Bill 2019 (16 Feb 2021)

Louise O'Reilly: I get there are many groups and many people meeting but it strikes me that occupations are not coming off this list. There seems to be satisfaction at Department level that this list is what it is but no effort is being made to ensure the Department of Education is intervening to upskill people where those skills will be required. Certain skills needs will not be met. If a skills...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Employment Permits (Consolidation and Amendment) Bill 2019 (16 Feb 2021)

Louise O'Reilly: It strikes me there is work to be done if the skills exist and the shortfall to be met is small. I wish to ask about the suggestion that the labour market needs test be amended to take account of modern advertising methods and to deepen the involvement of the Department of Social Protection in that process to maximise the opportunities for residents and EEA jobseekers. It is important we...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Employment Permits (Consolidation and Amendment) Bill 2019 (16 Feb 2021)

Louise O'Reilly: I understand that but moving to regulation - I apologise for cutting across Ms Ward, I know it is awkward on Teams - effectively would move it out of the realm of the Oireachtas where it would benefit greatly from that level of scrutiny. It is not a massive item of legislation and would not take a great deal of time to draft. It is important we would have regular engagement on this because...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Employment Permits (Consolidation and Amendment) Bill 2019 (16 Feb 2021)

Louise O'Reilly: On the agrifood pilot, and I have some experience in this regard from the same place as Senator Gavan, it was stated that employers have an obligation concerning the protection of workers' rights and their minimum entitlements. In the context of enforcement, how many employers have been found to be in breach of the requirements in this area and what are the levels of associated penalties? I...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Employment Permits (Consolidation and Amendment) Bill 2019 (16 Feb 2021)

Louise O'Reilly: No, I am talking about some of the most vulnerable workers in the State. This group of workers come here for very short periods in some cases and anyone who has worked as an organiser in the union movement will confirm that it is very difficult to organise them. They are very often frightened and conditions in which some of them work are horrendous, as we know from reports by the MRCI....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Employment Permits (Consolidation and Amendment) Bill 2019 (16 Feb 2021)

Louise O'Reilly: Absolutely, but I know Ms Ward will be well aware that the exploitation of workers was going on long before we ever heard of Covid-19. I would be very interested to have a look at that information. It strikes me as very unfortunate that the Department is not a little more curious about this issue. Given that we were going to have this discussion today about the necessity of updating the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Employment Permits (Consolidation and Amendment) Bill 2019 (16 Feb 2021)

Louise O'Reilly: I apologise for cutting across Ms Ward. When she states that employers undergo pre-employment checks, is it then the case that employers remain in the system once they pass those checks? Are those employers routinely checked afterwards in an unannounced fashion? We know that is the best way to find out if anything untoward is happening and that the rights of the workers are being protected...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Employment Permits (Consolidation and Amendment) Bill 2019 (16 Feb 2021)

Louise O'Reilly: I am aware the system in placed is breached on occasion. I know, from talking to the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland, MRCI, and others that the system is open to a level of abuse. As I have said, many employers are fine employers who do a good job and look after their workforce and there are some who are not. This scheme is probably like manna from heaven for those employers who are not, for...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Employment Permits (Consolidation and Amendment) Bill 2019 (16 Feb 2021)

Louise O'Reilly: How many employers are currently precluded for that five-year period?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Employment Permits (Consolidation and Amendment) Bill 2019 (16 Feb 2021)

Louise O'Reilly: Could Ms Ward give us an indication of the industries they are in? Ms Ward will be familiar with some of them.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Employment Permits (Consolidation and Amendment) Bill 2019 (16 Feb 2021)

Louise O'Reilly: The committee would benefit from hearing that information. In Ms Ward's experience, do breaches happen at the higher or lower end of the wage market? In my opinion and experience, breaches of this nature happen to low-paid workers. They happen to the most vulnerable workers whose first language is not English. It is fine if Ms Ward does not have information on the specific industry. I...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Employment Permits (Consolidation and Amendment) Bill 2019 (16 Feb 2021)

Louise O'Reilly: The workers and their skills are absolutely essential. It is something that gets lost in the debate. I am sure Ms Ward will appreciate that it is extremely difficult for any workplace organiser to organise a union in these circumstances. I will not go through all of the reasons but Senator Gavan and I have personal experience of trying to do that. It is extremely tough. Clearly, if I...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Employment Permits (Consolidation and Amendment) Bill 2019 (16 Feb 2021)

Louise O'Reilly: Is the information attached to the permit in English or in those 11 languages?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Employment Permits (Consolidation and Amendment) Bill 2019 (16 Feb 2021)

Louise O'Reilly: I can understand that but-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Employment Permits (Consolidation and Amendment) Bill 2019 (16 Feb 2021)

Louise O'Reilly: Ms Ward stated workers are directed to the WRC. Are they directed in English to the WRC?