Written answers

Thursday, 23 March 2006

Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment

Employment Rights

5:00 pm

Photo of Eamon GilmoreEamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Question 34: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the progress made to date with regard to consideration of the discussion document covering the operation of the labour inspectorate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11270/06]

Photo of Tony KilleenTony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment circulated a discussion document, Mandate and Resourcing of the Labour Inspectorate, to the social partners in early 2005. That document was the basis for further consideration by the employment rights compliance group, ERCG. The ERCG, which is made up of representatives of the social partners, including the CIF and SIPTU, together with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, the Department of the Taoiseach and the Department of Finance, has completed its report. The report will inform the current national partnership discussions.

Some of the key proposals in the report are: streamlining of access to redress through the existing employment rights bodies, thus enabling individuals with the information and facility to more easily vindicate their employment rights and entitlements; greater emphasis on proper record keeping together with increased transparency regarding pay and the associated information provided to employees on payslips; organisational improvements in the service provided by the employment rights compliance section of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, including the labour inspectorate, and including a regionalised structure; major investment in education and information dissemination on employment rights obligations and entitlements for both employers and employees.

It is anticipated that the new round of social partnership talks will embrace consideration of the resourcing of the labour inspectorate and options to enhance the effectiveness of our employment rights compliance regime.

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