Results 961-980 of 1,150 for speaker:Frank Fahey

Written Answers — Departmental Programmes: Departmental Programmes (25 May 2004)

Frank Fahey: A total allocation of €351 million is being provided in 2004 to support up to 25,000 places across the three employment schemes — community employment, CE, Jobs initiative, JI, and the social economy programme, SEP. Of this, more than €40 million is being allocated to the social economy programme. The breakdown of the funding between regions and schemes is a day-to-day matter for FÁS,...

Written Answers — Sunday Trading: Sunday Trading (25 May 2004)

Frank Fahey: The Industrial Relations Acts 1946 — 2004 provide the basis for the establishment of the joint labour committees, JLCs, that are charged with the task of setting the minimum terms and conditions, including pay rates, for employees in various sectors of the economy. The joint labour committees are comprised of representatives of relevant employee and employer bodies with an explicit interest...

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (25 May 2004)

Frank Fahey: The main FÁS programmes in operation are community employment, job initiative and social economy. The participation rates and costs in respect of each programme are as follows: Community Employment Participant / Places Year Average Year-End Costs € '000 1998 39,483 39,520 376,754 1999 37,904 36,579 375,553 2000 35,249 33,549 367,690 2001 33,034 30,809...

Written Answers — Health and Safety Regulations: Health and Safety Regulations (18 May 2004)

Frank Fahey: I am aware of the report referred to by the Deputy. The thrust of the recommendations in the report are generally in line with measures already being promoted in Ireland in the area of noise in the workplace. The Health and Safety Authority, HSA, is the State body charged with responsibility for the administration, enforcement and promotion of occupational health and safety legislation and...

Written Answers — Jobs Initiative: Jobs Initiative (18 May 2004)

Frank Fahey: The jobs initiative, JI, programme is a work experience programme for persons 35 years of age or older who have been unemployed for five years or longer. Participants are offered temporary full-time employment for a period of three years. Eligible persons are employed by managing agents, with the support of a grant from FÁS for this purpose. The rates of payment for persons in receipt of the...

Written Answers — Community Employment Schemes: Community Employment Schemes (13 May 2004)

Frank Fahey: The total number of community employment projects is likely to reduce slightly from the 1,368 in operation at year-end 2003. However, there are no reductions planned in the overall level of places available on the community employment programme in 2004. FÁS encourages projects that might otherwise not be renewed due to insufficient numbers of participants to amalgamate with neighbouring...

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (13 May 2004)

Frank Fahey: FÁS had 289.5 staff at grade 7 and above at the end of 2003 and 170 at the end of 1997. These management grades, 1 to 7, are spread throughout head office and the eight FÁS regions. The increase in numbers at these levels is as a result of a major programme of change agreed in FÁS in 1996 negotiated under the auspices of the then FÁS mediation panel and agreed in the context of the...

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (13 May 2004)

Frank Fahey: FÁS continues to provide many introductory level courses nationally as part of its services to the unemployed. These programmes are variously offered as European computer driving licence, ECDL, introduction to basic computers, and introduction to keyboard and computer skills. Sometimes such courses are discrete courses in their own right or sometimes they are delivered as modules within a...

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (13 May 2004)

Frank Fahey: The latest published follow-up survey of FÁS participants was carried out by the ESRI and published in 2003. It was based on asking a sample of FÁS trainees that left their FÁS programme in 2001 about their status in autumn 2002. The survey estimated that 45% of live registrants that completed FÁS training courses were in employment at the time of the follow-up survey. A further 20% had...

Written Answers — National Minimum Wage: National Minimum Wage (13 May 2004)

Frank Fahey: The national minimum wage can only be increased following a recommendation contained in a national agreement or, where no national agreement is in place, any organisation which the Labour Court is satisfied is substantially representative of employees or employers can request the Labour Court to examine the national minimum hourly rate of pay, not earlier than 12 months after the Minister...

Written Answers — Job Losses: Job Losses (13 May 2004)

Frank Fahey: On 27 April 2004, the company concerned wrote to my Department giving full notification of the proposed collective redundancies under section 12 of the Protection of Employment Act 1977. It also stated that the employee representatives had been consulted — sections 9 and 10 of that Act. If the employees concerned are in any way unhappy with the consultation and provision of information...

Written Answers — Employment Rights: Employment Rights (13 May 2004)

Frank Fahey: The labour inspectorate of my Department is part of the employment rights enforcement section. At present, the inspectorate has a complement of 17 inspector posts supported by a further seven administrative posts. The employment rights enforcement section comprises three inter-linked units which, apart from the inspectorate, incorporates the employment rights information unit — ten staff...

Written Answers — Migrant Workers: Migrant Workers (13 May 2004)

Frank Fahey: Ireland has not signed and is not a party to the International Convention on the Protection and of the Rights of all Migrant Workers and Members of their Families. The convention, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 1990, entered into force on 1 July last, following its ratification by the requisite number of states, 20. However, although the convention on migrant workers...

Written Answers — Public Holidays: Public Holidays (13 May 2004)

Frank Fahey: The Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 provides for the entitlement of employees to the following nine public holidays per year. These are 1 January, New Year's Day; St. Patrick's Day; Easter Monday; the first Monday in May; the first Monday in June; the first Monday in August; the last Monday in October; Christmas Day; St. Stephen's Day. The average public holiday entitlement in the EU at...

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (13 May 2004)

Frank Fahey: The latest published follow-up survey of FÁS participants was carried out by the ESRI and published in 2003. It was based on asking a sample of FÁS trainees that left their FÁS programme in 2001 about their status in autumn 2002. Trainees were asked about their employment status in the month before coming on training. In the 2002 survey, 26% stated that they were in receipt of unemployment...

Written Answers — Trade Union Recognition: Trade Union Recognition (13 May 2004)

Frank Fahey: I propose to take Questions Nos. 48 and 53 together. The system of industrial relations in Ireland is essentially voluntary in nature. In line with this voluntarist approach, a high level group, chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach, comprising representatives from IBEC, the ICTU, and various Departments and semi-State agencies, was established under Partnership 2000 to consider...

Written Answers — Organisation of Working Time Act: Organisation of Working Time Act (13 May 2004)

Frank Fahey: The Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 came fully into effect on 1 March 1998. If an employee considers that his or her employer has contravened the provisions in this Act governing holidays, rest breaks, rest periods and maximum average weekly working hours he or she may refer the matter to a rights commissioner for adjudication. The labour inspectorate of my Department has a limited role...

Written Answers — Community Employment Schemes: Community Employment Schemes (13 May 2004)

Frank Fahey: I propose to take Questions Nos. 59, 90 and 91 together. In accordance with the Government's decision in 1999 to restructure community employment schemes, participation levels have gradually been reduced in line with a strategic shift in policy in favour of training and other more appropriate supports. The number of community employment projects reduced from 2,274 in January 2000 to 1,368 in...

Written Answers — Older Workers: Older Workers (13 May 2004)

Frank Fahey: The National Economic and Social Forum report — whose project team included representatives from my Department — examined labour market participation issues for older workers. Changing demographics have resulted in ageing populations in many EU countries and this poses threats for their labour markets. For each pensioner in Europe there are on average 3.5 workers who contribute to the...

Written Answers — Health and Safety Regulations: Health and Safety Regulations (13 May 2004)

Frank Fahey: I would not agree that the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Construction) Regulations 1995 and their replacement regulations in 2001 have had no impact on preventing accidents occurring on construction sites. The significant resources dedicated to inspecting construction sites by the Health and Safety Authority and the co-operation of the major players in the industry in the construction...