Results 1,521-1,540 of 2,815 for speaker:Tony Killeen

Special Educational Needs. (2 Nov 2006)

Tony Killeen: The usual requirement is a fully qualified teacher. However, other qualifications are acceptable, depending on the individual needs of the child. In this context, a review of qualifications is under way in consultation with the Department's inspectorate. Nominated tuition providers with qualifications other than teaching qualifications have been accepted for the first school term this year...

Crime Levels (2 Nov 2006)

Tony Killeen: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter on the Adjournment. I am speaking on behalf of the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, who is unable to be present. I assure the Deputy that the Tánaiste and I share his concerns about recent incidents in Tralee. Earlier this year the Minster of State at the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy Fahey,...

Sugar Beet Industry. (25 Oct 2006)

Tony Killeen: I thank the Deputies for raising this matter. In March 2006, Greencore Group plc announced its intention to cease sugar production in Ireland completely. The announcement followed an agreement on 24 November 2005 by EU Agriculture Ministers on a reform plan for the sugar industry involving cuts in the support price of sugar by 36% over four years. The company duly closed the remaining...

Written Answers — Departmental Correspondence: Departmental Correspondence (25 Oct 2006)

Tony Killeen: I have arranged for the Labour Inspectorate of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment to investigate the circumstances set out in the correspondence furnished by the Deputy. The wages and employment conditions of workers employed in the sectors to which the correspondence relates are governed and safeguarded by Registered Employment Agreements enforced by the Labour Inspectorate....

Written Answers — Job Losses: Job Losses (24 Oct 2006)

Tony Killeen: By letter dated 3rd July 2006, Chorus Communication Ltd., notified me, in accordance with Section 12 of the Protection of Employment Act 1977, of up to 137 proposed collective redundancies from its workforce of 472. The grounds for collective redundancy cited were internal re-organisation and restructuring. The letter stated that the company had written to SIPTU inviting them to discussions...

Written Answers — Company Closures: Company Closures (24 Oct 2006)

Tony Killeen: The current dispute between former Greencore workers and Greencore relates to redundancy terms rather than pension issues. On 26 April 2006, the Labour Court made a recommendation regarding redundancy terms for Irish Sugar workers at the Mallow plant. The recommendation provided that redundancy should be 5 weeks' pay per year of service, where a week's pay would be defined as actual...

Written Answers — Redundancy Rebates: Redundancy Rebates (24 Oct 2006)

Tony Killeen: It is the policy of Government to pay a rebate only in situations where the strict criteria stipulating genuine grounds for redundancy under Section 7 of the Redundancy Payments Act, 1967, as amended by Section 4 of the Redundancy Payments Act, 1971 and Section 5 of the Redundancy Payments Act, 2003, are applicable. Statutory Redundancy Rebates are paid to employers who qualify under the...

Written Answers — Industrial Relations: Industrial Relations (24 Oct 2006)

Tony Killeen: The Employment Appeals Tribunal is an independent body under the aegis of the Department. Hearings of the Employment Appeals Tribunal are scheduled to take place every day, in Dublin and at various other venues. The Tribunal sat in Mullingar on eight separate occasions during 2005, and to date in 2006 hearings have taken place there on five separate occasions. There are twenty-six cases...

Written Answers — Employment Appeals Tribunal: Employment Appeals Tribunal (24 Oct 2006)

Tony Killeen: The Employment Appeals Tribunal is an independent body under the aegis of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment that was established to provide a speedy, inexpensive and relatively informal means for the adjudication of disputes on employment rights under the body of legislation that comes within the scope of the Tribunal. Tribunal members are paid on a per-diem basis. No legal...

Written Answers — Job Losses: Job Losses (19 Oct 2006)

Tony Killeen: From inquiries made in the Redundancy Payments Sections of this Department, I can confirm that there is no record of a claim for statutory redundancy having been made in respect of the person concerned. In accordance with the provisions of the Redundancy Payments Acts 1967 to 2003, a claim for statutory redundancy must be lodged within 2 years of the date of termination of employment. Since...

Written Answers — Employment Rights: Employment Rights (17 Oct 2006)

Tony Killeen: Section 19 of the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 provides that an employee's annual leave entitlement is calculated as follows: (a) 4 working weeks in a leave year in which he or she works at least 1,365 hours (unless it is a leave year in which he or she changes employment), or (b) one-third of a working week for each month in the leave year in which he or she works at least 117...

Written Answers — Employment Rights: Employment Rights (17 Oct 2006)

Tony Killeen: The Protection of Employees (Fixed-Term Work) Act 2003, provides that a fixed-term employee shall not be treated less favourably than a comparable permanent employee in respect of conditions of employment including pay, pensions and other service-related benefits. In order to invoke the anti-discrimination provisions in the Act, the fixed-term employee must find a permanent comparator with...

Written Answers — Employment Rights: Employment Rights (11 Oct 2006)

Tony Killeen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 33 and 179 together. Ireland is not a party to the UN Convention on the Protection of the Rights of all Migrant Workers and Members of their Families, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 1990. Nor has Ireland ratified this Convention. No other Member States of the European Union have signed or ratified this Convention either. This...

Written Answers — Employment Rights: Employment Rights (11 Oct 2006)

Tony Killeen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 37, 55, 86 and 97 together. The existing staff complement of the Labour Inspectorate of the Department comprises 31 Inspectors and some 7 administrative support staff. As the Deputies will be aware, the Social Partnership Agreement "Towards 2016" sets out a number of commitments with regard to employment standards and compliance including a commitment to...

Written Answers — Health and Safety Regulations: Health and Safety Regulations (11 Oct 2006)

Tony Killeen: Section 80 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, 2005 provides for individual responsibility by directors, managers or other similar officers of an undertaking. It provides that they be held responsible before the courts for any act that may constitute an offence under the 2005 Act or other relevant statutory provisions which may be attributable to connivance or neglect or was...

Written Answers — Bullying in the Workplace: Bullying in the Workplace (11 Oct 2006)

Tony Killeen: 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 Advisory Group was that a follow up survey on workplace...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (11 Oct 2006)

Tony Killeen: The Construction Federation Operatives Pension Scheme (generally referred to as CFOPS) has been established on foot of a Registered Employment Agreement for the Construction Industry. The terms of the agreement apply to a range of categories of workers in the industry. The Construction Industry Monitoring Agency was formed in 1989 under an agreement between the employers and Trade Unions in...

Written Answers — Health and Safety Regulations: Health and Safety Regulations (11 Oct 2006)

Tony Killeen: In the last year the Oireachtas has enacted the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 which updates and amends the provisions of previous legislation. The Act is a result of the first major review of occupational health and safety since the 1980s which, inter alia, led to the setting-up of the Health and Safety Authority. The Act provides a modern legal framework to guarantee best...

Written Answers — Equality Issues: Equality Issues (11 Oct 2006)

Tony Killeen: At this stage it is difficult to arrive at any definite conclusions about the current numbers of people with disabilities who are in the labour force. The results for the 2006 Census, and the associated national disability survey, will, when published, provide definitive information of the level of progress that is being achieved in increasing the numbers of disabled workers who are now...

Written Answers — Employment Rights: Employment Rights (11 Oct 2006)

Tony Killeen: Claims of discrimination on the grounds of race are covered by Employment Equality and Equal Status legislation. Complaints under these pieces of legislation should be referred to the Director of the Equality Tribunal. The Rights Commissioner Service of the Labour Relations Commission has no function in the matter. There are currently 9 Rights Commissioner posts in the Labour Relations...