Results 1,441-1,460 of 2,815 for speaker:Tony Killeen

Written Answers — Employment Rights: Employment Rights (5 Dec 2006)

Tony Killeen: The Unfair Dismissals Acts 1977 to 2005 protect employees from being unfairly dismissed by laying down criteria by which dismissals are judged to be unfair and by providing an adjudication system and redress for an employee whose dismissal is found to be unfair. A claim for redress under the Acts may be submitted initially to either of the adjudicative bodies specified in the Acts i.e. a...

Written Answers — Asbestosis Incidence: Asbestosis Incidence (28 Nov 2006)

Tony Killeen: The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Exposure to Asbestos) Regulations 2006 (S.I. No. 386 of 2006), which are enforced by the Health and Safety Authority, require that registered medical practitioners report any case of asbestosis or mesothelioma to the Health and Safety Authority, where he or she becomes aware of such a case. I am informed by the Health and Safety Authority that it has...

Written Answers — Industrial Disputes: Industrial Disputes (28 Nov 2006)

Tony Killeen: I propose to Questions Nos. 317 and 321 together. The Supported Employment Programme to which the deputy refers is delivered on behalf of FÁS by independent limited companies. These companies are not wholly owned subsidiaries of FÁS. FÁS provides funding for the delivery of the programme, which seeks to integrate persons with disabilities into the open labour market by providing job...

Written Answers — Industrial Disputes: Industrial Disputes (28 Nov 2006)

Tony Killeen: Two hundred and fifty-five employees were paid their statutory redundancy lump sums by the employer concerned on being made redundant between 5th of July 2002 and 28th March 2003. Rebate amounting to approximately €1.3 million was paid to the company out of the Social Insurance Fund on foot of these claims. During 2002, the Labour Court issued a recommendation and clarification aimed at...

Written Answers — Services for People with Disabilities: Services for People with Disabilities (28 Nov 2006)

Tony Killeen: The project referred to by the Deputy is a voluntary agency administering a project aimed at assisting adults with disabilities access employment. The project is funded by FÁS as a sponsor organisation under the FÁS Supported Employment Programme for people with disabilities, and is based in Ballymun, Dublin. The FÁS Supported Employment Programme is an open labour market initiative that...

Written Answers — National Minimum Wage: National Minimum Wage (28 Nov 2006)

Tony Killeen: The current national minimum wage is €7.65 per hour. In the national partnership agreement, Towards 2016, ICTU and IBEC agreed to make a joint recommendation to Government on a new minimum wage rate to be effective from 1 January, 2007. As no agreement was reached between ICTU and IBEC, ICTU has referred the matter to the Labour Court asking that the Court examine the national minimum wage...

Written Answers — Job Losses: Job Losses (28 Nov 2006)

Tony Killeen: As a result of trading difficulties in the poultry sector, in February 2005 Castlemahon Foods announced a restructuring plan which involved a reduction in staff numbers of 150 — down from 410 to 260. In May of that year, the company confirmed that workers at the company had accepted its redundancy offer by a large majority. Unfortunately, matters continued to decline into 2006 resulting...

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (23 Nov 2006)

Tony Killeen: The question of providing appropriate education and training for low skilled and semi-skilled workers in the construction industry is kept under regular review and there are currently a number of research projects being conducted on the subject. First, the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs, which is made up of representatives of a range of interests concerned with future skills needs and...

Written Answers — Child Labour: Child Labour (22 Nov 2006)

Tony Killeen: I can advise the Deputy that EU State Aid rules do not include any conditions regarding the employment of persons in non-EU countries. It should also be borne in mind that any State Aid grants to companies in Ireland are paid solely in respect of the operations of the recipient company in the State. However, the Deputy can be assured that the State's development agencies are most unlikely to...

Written Answers — Employment Legislation: Employment Legislation (21 Nov 2006)

Tony Killeen: The Protection of Employees (Fixed-Term Work) Act 2003 provides in relation to an employee who enters on a fixed-term contract of employment before the commencement of the Act on 14 July 2003 that if that employee is employed continuously on such a contract of employment for three continuous years, his or her contract of employment can only be renewed one more time on a fixed-term basis for...

Written Answers — Compulsory Retirement: Compulsory Retirement (16 Nov 2006)

Tony Killeen: There is no compulsory retirement age in employment rights legislation. Generally such legislation describes an employee as "a person of any age who has entered into or works under (or, where the employment has ceased, entered into or worked under) a contract of employment". In some employments, a "normal retirement age" exists for that employment only. In such cases, the normal age of...

Job Losses. (15 Nov 2006)

Tony Killeen: I thank the Deputies for raising these matters. While responsibility for the food sector rests with the Minister for Agriculture and Food, I was very disappointed to hear about the situation at the company in question. I am very conscious of the effects that the job losses will have on the workers concerned and their families, as well as on the local community in the surrounding area. This...

Written Answers — Labour Inspectorate: Labour Inspectorate (15 Nov 2006)

Tony Killeen: The eligibility requirements and terms and conditions of employment for the position of Labour Inspector do not provide for competence in minority languages. While Inspectors come into contact and engage with migrant workers in the course of investigations a substantial portion of the Inspectorate's time is allocated to the detailed examination of employment records and compliance with a...

Written Answers — Employment Rights: Employment Rights (15 Nov 2006)

Tony Killeen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 85 and 149 together. The persons in respect of whom details have been supplied could, in accordance with Section 6 of the Payment of Wages Act, 1991, present a complaint to a Rights Commissioner. The Rights Commissioner may, following examination of the facts and if he/she considers that the complaint is well founded, order the employer to pay appropriate...

Written Answers — Redundancy Issues: Redundancy Issues (15 Nov 2006)

Tony Killeen: A Collective redundancy means dismissals effected by an employer for one or more reasons not related to the individual concerned where in any period of 30 days the number of such dismissals is: (a) at least 5 in an establishment normally employing more than 20 and less than 50 employees, (b) at least ten in an establishment normally employing at least 50 but less that 100 employees, (c) at...

Written Answers — National Minimum Wage: National Minimum Wage (15 Nov 2006)

Tony Killeen: The number of inspections which have been carried out by the Labour Inspectorate in respect of compliance with the provisions of the National Minimum Wage Act 2000 in 2005 and 2006 was 481 and 2,818 respectively. While no prosecutions were initiated under that legislation in 2005 or 2006 the Deputy should be aware that the primary objective of the Labour Inspectorate in cases where breaches...

Written Answers — Employment Rights: Employment Rights (15 Nov 2006)

Tony Killeen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 89 and 119 together. The Office of the Director for Employment Rights Compliance (ODERC) will be established under primary legislation to be published next year. In the meantime, and as soon as the Director has been appointed and an Advisory Board put in place, I propose to establish this Office on an interim basis. The Public Appointments Service is managing...

Written Answers — Bullying in the Workplace: Bullying in the Workplace (15 Nov 2006)

Tony Killeen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 92 and 161 together. The Report of the Expert Advisory Group on Workplace Bullying was launched and published by me on the 17th August 2005 and it follows on from a 2001 Report by the Taskforce on the Prevention of Workplace Bullying. The recommendations of the 2001 Taskforce were implemented. One of the recommendations in the 2005 Report of the Expert...

Written Answers — Ministerial Appointments: Ministerial Appointments (15 Nov 2006)

Tony Killeen: The appointment of a Chief Executive of the Health and Safety Authority is in the first instance a matter for the Board of the Authority in accordance with the provisions of Section 39 and Schedule 6 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005. The appointment is subject to the consent of the Minister. I am informed that the board is putting in place arrangements and procedures to...

Written Answers — EU Directives: EU Directives (15 Nov 2006)

Tony Killeen: I consider that the failure of the EU Employment Ministers to reach agreement on the politically sensitive draft EU Working Time Directive at their Council on 7 November 2006, was a missed opportunity to bring a consensus approach to EU working hours. A better opportunity will not arise again for some considerable time as Germany, Slovenia and Portugal have signalled that they have other...