Results 41-60 of 5,164 for in 'Written Answers' speaker:Billy Kelleher

Written Answers — Semi-State Bodies: Semi-State Bodies (3 Jul 2007)

Billy Kelleher: I would refer the Deputy to Question No. 383 of 26 June 2007, which gave information as to the amounts paid to the vice-chairpersons of the body concerned over the three year period up to 29 January 2007. There is an obligation under Data Protection legislation to protect personal information that an organisation holds on individuals. Accordingly, I do not propose to release the names and...

Written Answers — Employment Rights: Employment Rights (4 Jul 2007)

Billy Kelleher: I am aware of the alleged practices of false or bogus self-contracting within certain sectors and, in particular, within the Construction Sector, referred to by the Deputy. The Government recognises that an effective response to this alleged practice requires a whole of Government response across the relevant agencies and in particular the Revenue Commissioners, the Department of Social and...

Written Answers — Employment Rights: Employment Rights (4 Jul 2007)

Billy Kelleher: The National Employment Rights Authority (NERA) has been established on an interim basis with Department of Finance sanction for 141 staff, including an increased complement of 90 Labour Inspectors, and an allocation of €8.553 million provided for under Vote 34 for the year 2007. The Director of NERA was appointed and took up duty on 12 February 2007. The management team and the...

Written Answers — Employment Rights: Employment Rights (4 Jul 2007)

Billy Kelleher: Following the identification, in early 2006, of anomalies in the employment contracts of some sub-contracted staff at the Moneypoint Environmental Retrofit Project (MERP) site, both the ESB and the Labour Inspectorate conducted investigations into the matter. As a result of these investigations a Memorandum of Understanding between the ESB, the contractor and sub-contractor was agreed in...

Written Answers — Employment Standards: Employment Standards (4 Jul 2007)

Billy Kelleher: The Government is committed to ensuring that employment standards are met throughout the economy. A key feature of the Government's commitment is the establishment of the National Employment Rights Authority (NERA) responsible for monitoring and enforcing employment rights generally. The Office has been set up on an interim basis pending the enactment of legislation to give NERA statutory...

Written Answers — Employment Rights: Employment Rights (4 Jul 2007)

Billy Kelleher: The wages and conditions of employment of workers on board vessels registered under the Irish flag are governed by a comprehensive corpus of employment rights legislation. The wages and conditions of employment of workers on board vessels registered in other States are governed by the flag State's legislation and neither I nor the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment have any...

Written Answers — Health and Safety Regulations: Health and Safety Regulations (4 Jul 2007)

Billy Kelleher: Figures to be published shortly by the Health and Safety Authority show that in 2006 there were 50 recorded fatalities in Ireland as a result of work related accidents, compared to 74 work-related deaths in 2005, 50 in 2004, 68 in 2003 and 61 in 2002. The same industry sectors of construction and agriculture remained the most dangerous throughout this period. As regards construction there...

Written Answers — Public Holidays: Public Holidays (4 Jul 2007)

Billy Kelleher: The Organisation of Working Time Act 1997, which implemented EU Council Directive 93/104/EC, of 23 November 1993, concerning certain aspects of the organisation of working time, provides for an entitlement to nine public holidays per annum. Publication of data by the European Employment Observatory shows that there is a wide variation in the number of public holidays among EU Member States....

Written Answers — Employment Rights: Employment Rights (5 Jul 2007)

Billy Kelleher: Irish employment rights do not apply to the employees of ships that are not registered under the Irish flag. The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment therefore does not have any power to enforce Irish employment rights legislation on board these ships. The ship to which the Deputy refers is registered in Belize. The responsibility for the safety, rates of pay and living and working...

Written Answers — Employment Rights: Employment Rights (26 Sep 2007)

Billy Kelleher: I propose to take Questions Nos. 532 and 541 together. Primary responsibility for this sector rests with the Minister and Minister of State at the Department of Transport. I can advise the Deputies however that the terms and conditions of employment on board ferry vessels are linked to the State in which the ship is registered. In the case of workers employed on Irish registered vessels, the...

Written Answers — Bullying in the Workplace: Bullying in the Workplace (26 Sep 2007)

Billy Kelleher: A revised Code of Practice, under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, for employers and employees on the Prevention and Resolution of Workplace Bullying, was published in April 2007. It replaces and updates the previous Code in operation since 2002 and it provides practical guidance for employers on identifying and preventing bullying at work arising from their duties under the...

Written Answers — Labour Inspectorate: Labour Inspectorate (27 Sep 2007)

Billy Kelleher: In accordance with commitments given under Towards 2016, the Social Partnership Agreement, the number of Inspectors is scheduled to increase to 90, from the starting position of 31, by the end of 2007. The number of Labour Inspectors appointed with the National Appointment Rights Authority (NERA) currently stands at 51. Preliminary interviews for the recruitment of a further 10 Inspectors...

Written Answers — Fire Service: Fire Service (2 Oct 2007)

Billy Kelleher: I understand that retained fire fighters are employed directly by the local authorities. Neither my Department nor the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government nor the local authorities have guidelines on the question of the release of retained firefighters to carry out their fire fighting duties. However, I further understand that there is an onus on retained fire fighters...

Written Answers — Employment Rights: Employment Rights (16 Oct 2007)

Billy Kelleher: The number of prosecutions initiated by Inspection Services for each year from 2002 to 2006 and to date in 2007 is set out in the table that follows this reply. The primary role of Inspection Services, encompassed within the new National Employment Rights Authority, in the case of breaches of employment rights legislation is to seek compliance and rectification of any breaches identified,...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (18 Oct 2007)

Billy Kelleher: The Construction Industry (Pension Assurance and Sick Pay) Registered Employment Agreement (REA) requires employers in the construction sector to become and remain a party to a contributory pension scheme approved by the Revenue Commissioners and sets out the conditions upon which pension and mortality payments are payable and the associated minimum amounts and benefits. The REA does not...

Written Answers — Health and Safety Regulations: Health and Safety Regulations (18 Oct 2007)

Billy Kelleher: I propose to take Questions Nos. 165 and 166 together. From 1 November 2007, new Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 2007 (S.I. No. 299 of 2007), made under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, relating to First-Aid at places of work, generally replace and revoke similar provisions in the 1993 Regulations of the same name (S.I. No. 44 of 1993). The...

Written Answers — Employment Regulations: Employment Regulations (23 Oct 2007)

Billy Kelleher: Ireland's comprehensive body of employment rights legislation, which protects employees against arbitrary behaviour by employers, applies to all workers employed on an employer-employee basis in Ireland. The Protection of Employees (Part-Time Work) Act, 2001 provides that all employee protection legislation applies to a person who has entered into a contract of employment that provides for...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (23 Oct 2007)

Billy Kelleher: My priority is to secure the enactment of the Employment Law Compliance Bill 2007 and the Employment Agencies Regulation Bill 2007, so as to give effect to commitments for new legislation in Sections 11 to 16 and 21 of Part 2 of TOWARDS 2016 — 10 Year Framework Social Partnership Agreement 2006-2015. Work on preparing both Bills is advancing for their publication as quickly as possible. I...

Written Answers — Labour Inspectorate: Labour Inspectorate (24 Oct 2007)

Billy Kelleher: The number of workplace inspections/visits undertaken by the Inspection Services (during and after normal business hours) and prosecutions initiated in respect of the years 2002 to 2006 and to date in 2007 are set out in the following tabular statement. I am pleased to say that almost 8,000 inspections/visits have been undertaken in the year to date. I am advised by the Director of the...

Written Answers — Employment Rights: Employment Rights (24 Oct 2007)

Billy Kelleher: The Government is committed to delivering the key package of measures agreed under the chapter dealing with Employment Rights and Compliance in Towards 2016 In this regard the National Employment Rights Authority (NERA) has been established on an interim basis since February 2007. NERA has Department of Finance sanction for 141 staff, including an increased complement of 90 Labour Inspectors....