Results 1,281-1,300 of 4,792 for speaker:Neale Richmond

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Workplace Relations Commission (1 Mar 2023)

Neale Richmond: The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) is an independent, statutory body under the aegis of my Department, established on 1st October 2015 under the Workplace Relations Act 2015. The Commission’s core services include the inspection of employment rights compliance, the provision of information, the processing of employment agency and protection of young persons (employment) licenses...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (28 Feb 2023)

Neale Richmond: The Employment Permits Section of the Department informs me that, on 3rdOctober 2022, a General Employment Permit application for the person concerned (in the details supplied) was received. On 23rdNovember 2022 the General Employment Permit application was refused. A request for a review of the refusal decision was subsequently submitted and is currently under consideration by the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Employment Rights (28 Feb 2023)

Neale Richmond: On 3 August 2022, the former Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail announced his intention to issue an Order to give effect to a statutory recommendation of the Labour Court concerning minimum rates of remuneration and other terms and conditions in the Security Sector. The Order was to apply from 29 August 2022. On 24 August 2022 my Department was informed that High Court had...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (28 Feb 2023)

Neale Richmond: Much has already been done to improve the employment permit system and my Department is always focused on improving the service, with initiatives such as the Trusted Partner Registration system, and the introduction of the electronic employment permit and the Multi-Site General Employment Permit for Doctors. Waiting times for Employment Permit processing have been greatly reduced over the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Industrial Relations (23 Feb 2023)

Neale Richmond: I thank the Deputy for this question. I do not think either of us thought it would be reached, but it is good it has been. This was discussed quite recently at a meeting of the Labour Employer Economic Forum, LEEF, between Ministers, employer representatives and representatives of trade unions. The high-level working group's recommendations will now be taken into consideration. They...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Industrial Relations (23 Feb 2023)

Neale Richmond: -----but we are ahead of some EU member states. There is an appetite between the employer group representatives and the trade unions to work with the Government to make sure we can achieve this in a timely manner.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Industrial Relations (23 Feb 2023)

Neale Richmond: I fully agree with the Deputy. An efficient collective bargaining system is not just in the interest of the workers but also in the interest of the employers and, most importantly, the interest of the economy and society as a whole. We appreciate, and I agree with the Deputy, that 80% will be a challenge, but it is a challenge the Government is very much keen to rise to. The process has...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Industrial Relations (23 Feb 2023)

Neale Richmond: As I mentioned, the Labour Employer Economic Forum discussed this last month. There will be a meeting of the subgroup to discuss this in March. Following that meeting, we will look at any legislative process, but that will be in discussion with European colleagues to see if we can meet the European ambitions as were announced at the Council meeting just two weeks ago.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Minimum Wage (23 Feb 2023)

Neale Richmond: It is a combined response to this question and the previous one. We both have to be careful in our language when we are talking about reports or anecdotal evidence versus empirical evidence. We do not want people to go out thinking that this is used across any sector, retail or otherwise, as suggested in terms of lower pay and the way hours are being allocated. There have been some reports...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Minimum Wage (23 Feb 2023)

Neale Richmond: The Deputy knows all the arguments from the Low Pay Commission as well as I do. She knows the reasoning as to why this was introduced in the first place. She knows what the response would be to the points she has made about other jurisdictions that have changed this. What I will repeat is that the Low Pay Commission has been asked to look at the matter by the previous Minister. It will...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Pensions Reform (23 Feb 2023)

Neale Richmond: As I said, serious concerns with the Bill were raised by my predecessor, and those concerns remain. While we are sympathetic to the plight and the case of the individuals who have been involved in drafting the Bill, many of whom I met as both a Senator and a Deputy, whether because they are my constituents or because they are members of other representative groups, there are several serious...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Pensions Reform (23 Feb 2023)

Neale Richmond: As outlined, I have met the groups previously in my capacities as a Senator and a Deputy, and I would be more than willing to meet them again with the Deputy. There are serious concerns about this approach and the serious impact it would have on the industrial relations mechanism. It is in all our interest to work towards a solution relatively quickly, and I am prepared to do that with the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Minimum Wage (23 Feb 2023)

Neale Richmond: The minimum wage for those aged 19 and under is less than the minimum wage for those aged 20 and over, given that sub-minimum, or age-based, pay rates are in force. The latest figures available from the Central Statistics Office, CSO, using the labour force survey quarter 3 of 2022, show that there are an estimated 91,000 employees aged between 16 and 19. Of these, the CSO estimates 19,600...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Employment Rights (23 Feb 2023)

Neale Richmond: I thank the Deputy for her kind welcome. Consistency is not a bad thing in life. From the outset, I can confirm that I have read Mandate's report, Smoke and Mirrors: The Facts About Retail Workers' Incomes in Ireland. Indeed, Mandate raised it with me directly when I met them a week prior to its publication. We had a discussion then and we have had subsequent discussions via email and...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Employment Rights (23 Feb 2023)

Neale Richmond: The review will be quick, but most importantly it will be thorough. We are dealing with legislation that was described as groundbreaking by Mandate when it was introduced. We owe it the duty of care to make sure there is a thorough review that addresses real, statistical issues. The report is very welcome and there is a lot of interesting data in it, but it must also be looked at in the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Employment Rights (23 Feb 2023)

Neale Richmond: Very briefly, there is not much difference here between the Deputy and me, which is welcome. The workers will appreciate that politicians from all corners are here to try to get better conditions for them and to work with employers to make it sustainable. There is not low pay in the retail sector, because the average is €17 per hour, but there is an issue with hours. That is...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Pensions Reform (23 Feb 2023)

Neale Richmond: I understand the Deputy has already engaged quite a bit with the Department in relation to this Bill, which is very welcome and I encourage that going forward. As the Deputy is aware, the Joint Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment met in public session on 25 January to discuss detailed scrutiny of the Industrial Relations (Provisions in Respect of Pension Entitlements of Retired...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Legislative Reviews (23 Feb 2023)

Neale Richmond: My Department closely monitors relevant national and international developments and case law from the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC), Labour Court and High Court to keep Ireland’s extensive suite of employment rights legislation current and fit for purpose. TheCode of Practice on Access to Part-Time Workwas drawn up by the then Labour Relations Commission in consultation with the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: National Minimum Wage (23 Feb 2023)

Neale Richmond: I propose to take Questions Nos. 85 and 86 together. The Low Pay Commission was requested, as part of its 2016 work programme, to examine the sub-minimum rates (special training and youth rates) of the national minimum wage and to report its recommendations. The Low Pay Commission, having examined all available evidence and submissions, and having considered a range of options, made...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Wage Levels (23 Feb 2023)

Neale Richmond: According to CSO data, average weekly earnings in the private sector increased by 4.5% in 2022 Q3 compared to the same period a year earlier, and were up 10.6% compared to the same period in 2020. The Government has no role in the wage bargaining process for private sector workers which is a matter for individual employers and employees. However, the Government has been proactive in...