Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 318: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of registered employment agencies operating here at present and in each of the past five years. [13237/06]

Tony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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The number of employment agencies licensed under the Employment Agency Act 1971 and operating in the State at present is 507. The number of such agencies operating in the State in the last five years is set out in the following table.

Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 319: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the changes which will be included in the legislation amending the Employment Agency Act 1971, due to be published in 2006. [13249/06]

Tony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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As part of the Government's commitments under Sustaining Progress, in June 2005 the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment issued a White Paper on the review of the Employment Agency Act 1971. The deadline for submissions was 15 July 2005. The Department is currently finalising the heads of a Bill based on submissions received. This process should be completed by the end of June 2006 and includes consultations with the various interests. Government approval will then be sought to have a Bill drafted by the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel. It is hoped to publish this Bill in the second half of 2006.

Matters under consideration for inclusion in the Bill include providing for a system of registration of employment agencies based in Ireland, supported by an industry regulatory code which will set out in detail the practices and standards that employment agencies would be expected to follow. Another change is that a statutory monitoring and advisory committee, representative of all the various interests in the sector, will be established. This committee will oversee the regulatory code and make recommendations to the Minister of State with responsibility for labour affairs with regard to revoking or suspending registration and the prosecution of employment agencies which breach the code. However, it will be necessary to take account of the potential impact of revised proposals from the European Commission on the draft EU services directive, expected in April 2006 and the free movement of persons, services and capital within the EU, as laid down in the EU Treaty.