Results 11,421-11,440 of 11,979 for speaker:Billy Kelleher

Written Answers — Employment Rights: Employment Rights (24 Sep 2008)

Billy Kelleher: Data from the CSO quarterly industrial survey shows that average industrial earnings per hour for male industrial workers on adult rates in June 2007 was €16.62. For female industrial workers the average rate was €12.73. From the CSO National Employment Survey for October 2006, average hourly earnings were €20.50 for males and €17.67 for females. These latter figures cover the...

Written Answers — Labour Inspectorate: Labour Inspectorate (24 Sep 2008)

Billy Kelleher: In accordance with commitments given under Towards 2016, the Social Partnership Agreement, the number of Inspectors was scheduled to increase from 31 to 90. Competitions were held in 2007 for the recruitment of the additional fifty-nine Inspectors and, fifty-nine inspectors have been assigned to NERA from these competitions. All new inspectors have completed the NERA Inspection Services...

Written Answers — Labour Inspectorate: Labour Inspectorate (24 Sep 2008)

Billy Kelleher: The number of calls/visits/inspections carried out in relation to the National Minimum Wage Act, 2000 during which breaches of the Act were detected and the number of prosecutions initiated is as follows: in 2006: 2,002 calls/visits/inspections were undertaken; in 104 cases breaches were detected and in one case a prosecution was initiated. in 2007: 1,942 calls/visits/inspections were...

Written Answers — Social Partnership Agreements: Social Partnership Agreements (24 Sep 2008)

Billy Kelleher: I welcome the draft Transitional Agreement reached between Government and the Social Partners on a successor to the first module of Towards 2016. The draft Agreement will now be considered by the parties with a view to ratification and it is my hope that the Agreement will be ratified by all sides. The draft Agreement provides for a number of commitments, including through legislation...

Written Answers — Employment Regulation Orders: Employment Regulation Orders (24 Sep 2008)

Billy Kelleher: In quashing the Employment Regulation Order made by the Labour Court relating to minimum remuneration of workers in the Hotels Sector on 7 February last, the High Court ordered that the matter be remitted to the Hotels Joint Labour Committee. As the Deputy may be aware, the Hotels Joint Labour Committee met in March 2008 and a new Employment Regulation Order was subsequently made for the...

Written Answers — Health and Safety Regulations: Health and Safety Regulations (24 Sep 2008)

Billy Kelleher: I understand that in the last 2 years the Health and Safety Authority has inspected the Haulbowline site on 4 occasions and that construction work at the site came within the ambit of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Construction) Regulations, 2006. I understand that the Authority advised Cork County Council and its appointed consultants on the nature of monitoring to be conducted at...

Written Answers — Health and Safety Authority: Health and Safety Authority (24 Sep 2008)

Billy Kelleher: I wish to inform the Deputy that I have no such plans at this time. Question No. 206 answered with Question No. 134.

Written Answers — Work Permits: Work Permits (24 Sep 2008)

Billy Kelleher: The Employment Permits Section of my Department has informed me that they have requested some additional information from the employer in this case. On receipt of that information this application will be considered further.

Written Answers — Unfair Dismissals: Unfair Dismissals (24 Sep 2008)

Billy Kelleher: The Unfair Dismissals Acts, 1977 to 2007 protect employees from being unfairly dismissed from their jobs by laying down criteria by which dismissals are to be judged unfair and by providing an adjudication system and redress for an employee whose dismissal has been found to be unfair. To qualify under the Unfair Dismissals Acts, an employee is normally expected to have at least one year's...

Written Answers — Work Permits: Work Permits (24 Sep 2008)

Billy Kelleher: It is current Government policy to issue new employment permits for highly skilled, highly paid positions or to non-EEA nationals already legally resident in the State on existing valid employment permits. There are some exception categories under this policy, including ethnic restaurants, where a limited number of applications for fully trained head chefs are being considered. However, it...

Public Sector Reform. (24 Sep 2008)

Billy Kelleher: The Deputy is the counter-balance.

Business Regulation. (24 Sep 2008)

Billy Kelleher: They are used in answer to parliamentary questions.

Employment Rights Authority. (24 Sep 2008)

Billy Kelleher: I propose to take Questions Nos. 118 and 138 together. The Employment Law Compliance Bill 2008 is designed to give effect to shared commitments in Part 2 of the ten year framework social partnership agreement, Towards 2016, to greatly increase public confidence in the system of employment law compliance. The establishment of a new, statutory office to secure better compliance with employment...

Employment Rights Authority. (24 Sep 2008)

Billy Kelleher: Part 2 of the Bill provides for the establishing of the National Employment Rights Authority. That was the Part of the Bill that was published and presented to the House on 13 March 2008. It is complex legislation. We live in an era where social partnership is the bedrock within which much of the discussions take place. There were further discussions in that context in the interim...

Employment Rights Authority. (24 Sep 2008)

Billy Kelleher: The reason the Bill was published was because a commitment was given in Towards 2016 to publish a Bill and to set up the National Employment Rights Authority on a statutory footing. The most important point to be made is that NERA is operating and has almost a complete complement of labour inspectors. It is enforcing employment rights compliance law which is welcome. It has collected...

Employment Rights Authority. (24 Sep 2008)

Billy Kelleher: We will have it quite soon. We are trying to ensure when the Bill is published that it is not rushed with amendments railroaded through the House. We want to have a genuine discussion on it. We are trying to get the Bill right in the first instance, to have broad agreement from the social partners and a good debate in the House. It is very complex but the Government is committed not only...

Employment Rights Authority. (24 Sep 2008)

Billy Kelleher: The purpose of Part 2 of the Bill, as published, was to provide for the establishment of the National Employment Rights Authority on a statutory footing. The employment law is already in place. Employers must comply with the employment law as it exists. This does not amend the employment law which exists in the context of minimum wage, holiday entitlements, EROs and registered employment...

Job Losses. (24 Sep 2008)

Billy Kelleher: I propose to take Questions Nos. 112 and 113 together. The live register is not designed to measure unemployment. It includes part-time, seasonal and casual workers entitled to unemployment benefit. The total number of people recorded on the live register for August 2008 is 247,384, showing an increase of about 73,000 in the 12-month period. Employment and unemployment are measured by the...

Job Losses. (24 Sep 2008)

Billy Kelleher: The Deputy asked a number of questions and I will try to deal with the issues of substance.

Job Losses. (24 Sep 2008)

Billy Kelleher: I admire that in the Deputy.