Results 141-160 of 9,147 for speaker:Pat Breen

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Competition and Consumer Protection Commission Remit (14 May 2019)

Pat Breen: I thank Deputy Broughan for raising this very important issue. One of the principal statutory functions of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission is to investigate breaches of EU and Irish competition law, that is, Articles 101 and 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and sections 4 and 5 of the Competition Act 2002. At the conclusion of an investigation...

Ceisteanna - Questions (resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Personal Injury Claims (14 May 2019)

Pat Breen: I agree with the Deputy on the awards made in certain cases. The Government is committed to ensure we get these measures put in place. As I stated already, it is about the cumulative effect of what we have been putting into place. The Personal Injuries Assessment Board (Amendment) Act 2019 is important legislation as it encourages people to settle awards out of court. That will mean...

Ceisteanna - Questions (resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Personal Injury Claims (14 May 2019)

Pat Breen: The Minister for Justice and Equality is working on this. We have published guidelines on the reporting of fraudulent insurance claims to the Garda Síochána. The combination of what we have done over the past several years will bear fruition shortly. The Deputy referred to small businesses and she did a report on that for the enterprise committee. It is important to ensure...

Ceisteanna - Questions (resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Personal Injury Claims (14 May 2019)

Pat Breen: Deputy Kelleher has, in Deputy Butler, a good substitute in place for this afternoon's priority questions. I am very aware of the serious impacts on businesses and consumers of high insurance costs. It is important that consumers and businesses can obtain insurance cover at a reasonable and fair price. The cost of insurance working group, chaired by my colleague, the Minister of State...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: IDA Ireland Data (14 May 2019)

Pat Breen: Attracting investment and creating new jobs in regional locations – including County Donegal – is a major priority for both myself and my Department. The IDA has a significant role to play in helping us achieve that objective. It has been working hard, through its staff both here and abroad, to encourage overseas investors to locate or expand in Ireland’s regions. The...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Workplace Relations Commission (14 May 2019)

Pat Breen: My Department works closely with the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) monitoring its staffing and budgetary requirements, including anticipating future resource requirements, to ensure that it is supported and adequately resourced to fulfil its mandate. Additional funding has already been provided in 2019 to enable the WRC deal with the anticipated increased workload arising from An...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Workplace Relations Commission (14 May 2019)

Pat Breen: The Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2018, which comes under the remit of my colleague Regina Doherty T.D., Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, was signed into law by the President on 25 December 2018. The key objective of the Act is to improve the security and predictability of hours of work for those on insecure contracts and those working variable hours....

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Industrial Relations (14 May 2019)

Pat Breen: Access to the industrial relations machinery of the State is governed by the definition of “worker” in Section 23 of the Industrial Relations Act 1990, which provides, inter alia, that a “worker” means any person aged 15 years or more who has entered into or works under a contract with an employer. In addition, Section 3 of the Industrial Relations Act 1946...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: GLAS Payments (14 May 2019)

Pat Breen: 374. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when payment will issue to a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20337/19]

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Labour Court Recommendations (8 May 2019)

Pat Breen: The Labour Court is an independent statutory office under the aegis of my Department with responsibility for adjudicating on disputes between employers and employees under industrial relations and employment rights legislation. As such I, as Minister, have no involvement when the Labour Court exercises its quasi- judicial functions. The specific details provided by the Deputy relate to...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Industrial Relations (8 May 2019)

Pat Breen: At the outset, I must emphasise that Ireland’s system of industrial relations is essentially voluntary in nature and responsibility for the resolution of industrial disputes between employers and workers rests with the employer, the workers and their representatives. The right of workers to form associations and join a trade union is enshrined in Article 40 of the Irish...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Labour Court Recommendations (8 May 2019)

Pat Breen: I am aware of the ongoing industrial relations issues at the company referred to by the Deputy. I am also aware that the Labour Court issued a recommendation on the 5thApril 2019 in relation to a claim before it, with the Court noting that this issue has already been before it, resulting in previous recommendations. Ireland’s system of industrial relations is essentially voluntary in...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Workplace Relations Commission (18 Apr 2019)

Pat Breen: In 2018, over 90% of complaints received by the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) for adjudication were processed from receipt to hearing and decision within six months, where there were no requests for postponements, where all parties were available and where submissions were received in a timely manner. During 2018, 15,451 individual complaints were received by the Workplace...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Industrial Relations (Amendment) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (17 Apr 2019)

Pat Breen: I would, if the Chairman does not mind. I will be brief. As members know, the Bill is very short. Its main purpose is to give members of An Garda Síochána access to the Workplace Relations Commission and the Labour Court. When enacted, it will allow members of An Garda Síochána to avail of the broad suite of WRC services, including mediation, conciliation and...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Industrial Relations (Amendment) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (17 Apr 2019)

Pat Breen: That is fine.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Industrial Relations (Amendment) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (17 Apr 2019)

Pat Breen: I am not sure.

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Protected Disclosures (16 Apr 2019)

Pat Breen: The April/May addition of the Village Magazine contained an article within which a former Inspector of the National Employment Rights Authority (NERA) and latterly the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) made specific allegations in relation to both those bodies’ approach to specific inspections.  The individual involved made a protected disclosure to my Department in October...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Health and Safety Authority Data (16 Apr 2019)

Pat Breen: The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) tracks and analyses trends in fatal farm accidents and has produced detailed charts indicating the prevalence of fatalities due to livestock. The charts at the link show that livestock related deaths make up 16% of all workplace deaths in the Agriculture Sector. Further analyses of the farm fatalities involving livestock shows that Cow/Heifer attacks...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Health and Safety Authority Data (16 Apr 2019)

Pat Breen: The reporting of accidents in the workplace which result in an absence and the prevention of an employee from performing their normal work for more than 3 consecutive days is a statutory requirement under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Reporting of Accidents and Dangerous Occurrences) Regulations 2016 (S.I. No. 370 of 2016). This applies to all workplaces regardless of size,...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Workplace Relations Services (11 Apr 2019)

Pat Breen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 97 and 98 together. If an Employer/Respondent fails to comply with a decision of an Adjudication Officer of the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC), or a decision of the Labour Court arising from an appeal of an Adjudication Officer's decision, within the prescribed time, an application may be made to the District Court in accordance with section 43 of the...