Results 14,321-14,340 of 14,841 for speaker:Dara Calleary

Seanad: Labour Services (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (2 Dec 2009)

Dara Calleary: I will surprise the Senator some day. This is an amendment Bill which relates to a Bill published prior to 1993. For all legislation enacted after 1993, the convention for amendment Bills to Acts originally written with the masculine form is to maintain that form. There is an understanding that it refers to both male and female chairpersons. It is not proposed to accept the amendment....

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (2 Dec 2009)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 43 and 51 together. The Towards 2016 Review and Transitional Agreement 2008 – 2009 (paras 9.1 – 9.3) provides for the establishment of a review process which would consider the legal and other steps necessary to enable the employee representation mechanisms that had been established under previous agreements – and in legislation – to operate as they...

Written Answers — Workplace Accidents: Workplace Accidents (2 Dec 2009)

Dara Calleary: As at 30.11.09, there have been 37 workplace deaths reported to the Health and Safety Authority. In the years 2002-2008, the numbers were as follows - 57 in 2008; 67 in 2007; 51 in 2006; 74 in 2005; 50 in 2004; 68 in 2003, and 61 in 2002. Non-fatal accidents, resulting in an absence of more than three days from normal work following the accident, are required to be reported to the...

Written Answers — Redundancy Payments: Redundancy Payments (2 Dec 2009)

Dara Calleary: The latest figures available relate to the period up to end October 2009 and indicate that the number of redundancy claims on hand and awaiting processing stands at 43,826. I should point out that my Department has, since January to October 2009, already processed 38,149 claims and made corresponding payments totalling €248m which results in average weekly payments to the value of €6m...

Written Answers — Redundancy Payments: Redundancy Payments (2 Dec 2009)

Dara Calleary: Table 1 below sets out the number of statutory redundancies for the years 2002 to 2008 and provisional figures for January to October 2009. These figures reflect the number of employees who actually qualified for statutory redundancy lump sum payments. They do not reflect those who lost their jobs with less than two years service in employment. It is not possible to project the number of...

Written Answers — National Minimum Wage: National Minimum Wage (2 Dec 2009)

Dara Calleary: I understand that in November 2008, ICTU requested the Labour Court to review the national minimum wage and to make a recommendation to me concerning its adjustment. The Court subsequently invited submissions on the issue. Various submissions were received, including from IBEC, ICTU and the Department of Finance. The Labour Court also held discussions with these parties. Under the National...

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (2 Dec 2009)

Dara Calleary: I refer the Deputy to the answer I gave to Parliamentary Question Ref No 42096/09 of 16 November 2009 on this matter. In the interim, the number of redundant apprentices who currently require on-the-job training and assessments at Phases 3, 5 and 7 has reduced by 9, 5 and 29 respectively. A detailed breakdown by Trade Category is set out in the Annex. I have set out the measures being...

Written Answers — Departmental Bodies: Departmental Bodies (2 Dec 2009)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 82 and 91 together. NERA currently has a team of 71 inspectors in place. Recruitment competitions have been held to bring the number of Inspectors from the original level of 31 Inspectors up to the level of 90 committed to under Towards 2016. 60 inspectors were assigned to NERA from these competitions. 18 Inspectors have left NERA over the past two years as...

Written Answers — Job Initiative: Job Initiative (2 Dec 2009)

Dara Calleary: On 1 January 2006 responsibility for the Social Economy Programme transferred to the Department of Community, Rural & Gaeltacht Affairs and it has been re-named as the Community Services Programme. FÁS as an agency of my Department operates Job Initiative (JI). The Job Initiative Programme (JI) was launched in July 1996 and provides full time employment for people who are 35 years of age or...

Written Answers — Work Permits: Work Permits (2 Dec 2009)

Dara Calleary: Earlier this year my Department completed a review of employment permit arrangements, the purpose of which was to ensure that such arrangements continued to be appropriate to the needs of our changing labour market. Following the outcome of consultations with the Social Partners and other interest groups, a number of changes were implemented for non-EEA nationals applying to enter the Irish...

Written Answers — Workplace Inspections: Workplace Inspections (2 Dec 2009)

Dara Calleary: The National Employment Rights Authority (NERA) has carried out a total of 23,578 calls, visits and inspections up to the 27th of November 2009. This compares with 26,781 for the corresponding period in 2008. The number of actual inspections decreased by 1,135 while the number of calls and interviews decreased by 1,055 and 1,013 respectively. The decreased level of inspection activity in...

Written Answers — Redundancy Payments: Redundancy Payments (2 Dec 2009)

Dara Calleary: I am advised that at this point, there is no record in my Department of a claim submitted for an individual of the name provided associated with the PPS number provided. If the Deputy wishes to forward further information in this regard that might assist in clarifying the position, I would be happy to renew enquiries.

Written Answers — Job Losses: Job Losses (2 Dec 2009)

Dara Calleary: In parallel with the general downturn in the economy, the number of redundancies reported to my Department to date in 2009 is unprecedented when compared with earlier years. Up to and including 2007, the average annual intake of redundancy claims was 25,000. In the latter part of 2008, an increased influx of claims was in evidence with in excess of 40,000 claims received in that year. Up...

Written Answers — Redundancy Payments: Redundancy Payments (2 Dec 2009)

Dara Calleary: My Department has no record of an application for statutory redundancy in the case of the individual concerned. Under the Redundancy Payments Scheme all eligible employees are entitled to a statutory redundancy lump sum payment on being made redundant. A redundancy situation arises in general where an employee's job no longer exists and he/she is not replaced. An employee is entitled to two...

Written Answers — Redundancy Payments: Redundancy Payments (2 Dec 2009)

Dara Calleary: Under the Redundancy Payments Scheme all eligible employees are entitled to a statutory redundancy lump sum payment on being made redundant. Payment of statutory redundancy is, in the first instance, a matter for the employer. In general, a redundancy situation exists where an employee's job no longer exists. It is up to the employer concerned to determine whether or not there is in fact a...

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (2 Dec 2009)

Dara Calleary: The specific issue referred to by the Deputy is a day-to-day matter for FÁS as part of its responsibility under the Labour Services Act, 1987. More generally, the funding of FÁS-operated active labour market programmes is the subject of detailed discussions between the Department, FÁS and the Department of Finance in the context of the annual Estimates process. FÁS's funding for 2010...

Written Answers — Work Permits: Work Permits (1 Dec 2009)

Dara Calleary: The Employment Permits Section informs me that it has no record of an application in this case. Full information, application forms and specific conditions for new permits are available on the Departments website at www.entemp.ie.

Written Answers — Redundancy Payments: Redundancy Payments (1 Dec 2009)

Dara Calleary: My Department administers the Social Insurance Fund (SIF) in relation to redundancy matters on behalf of the Department of Social and Family Affairs. There are two types of payment made from the SIF – rebates to those employers who have paid statutory redundancy to eligible employees, and statutory lump sums to employees whose employers are insolvent and/or in receivership/liquidation. ...

Written Answers — Redundancy Payments: Redundancy Payments (1 Dec 2009)

Dara Calleary: I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department issued a cheque in respect of a lumpsum redundancy claim for the individual concerned to the address provided to the Department on the RP 50 claim form submitted. I note from the information provided by the Deputy that in fact the incorrect address was provided to the Department by the individual's former employer. I understand that the cheque...

Written Answers — Community Employment Schemes: Community Employment Schemes (1 Dec 2009)

Dara Calleary: The Community Employment Programme has provision for persons who have previously been in prison. The eligibility criteria for these clients is as follows: · Ex-offenders aged 18 years or over and referred by the Probation Service. · Ex-offenders aged 18 and over, not referred by the Probation Service and in receipt of Jobseekers Allowance or Jobseekers Benefit for a period of one year or...