Willie Penrose (Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 469: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the regularity of the divisional appeals body which chairs unfair dismissals hearings, having given appropriate notice, holding such hearings in Mullingar; when the next such hearing will be made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34393/06]

Tony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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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 awaiting hearing in County Westmeath. Of these cases, the longest waiting period is 46 weeks and the shortest is 4 weeks.

Hearings are scheduled six weeks in advance and at present there are no scheduled hearings fixed for Mullingar.

Under the Ten-Year Framework Social Partnership Agreement Towards 2016, the Government is committed to increasing the staffing resources of the Employment Appeals Tribunal in order to accelerate the processing of cases. I expect these extra resources to be in place early in 2007.