Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Question 40: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the progress to date in regard to the work of the National Employment Rights Authority; when the authority will be placed on a statutory basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4055/08]

Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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The National Employment Rights Authority (NERA) has been established on an interim basis since February 2007. The Authority will be established on a statutory basis on the enactment of new Employment Law Compliance Bill which I propose to publish shortly.

A budget allocation of €8.553 million was provided for NERA for 2007 and this has increased to some €10.8 million for 2008.

Three units which were formerly part of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment have been subsumed into NERA — the Employment Rights Information Unit, the Labour Inspectorate and the Prosecution / Enforcement Unit.

Department of Finance sanction was secured for a total staff complement for NERA of 141, including an increased complement of 90 Labour Inspectors. The Director of NERA was appointed and took up duty on 12 February 2007. The Director is supported in his role by a management team including legal and accounting expertise and an administrative staff which are now fully in place.

Considerable progress has been made in the recruitment and deployment of Labour Inspectors over the past year with 49 of the additional 59 inspectors having been assigned to NERA.

As part of the Government's decentralisation programme, NERA established its headquarters in Carlow at the end of July 2007. The Social Partnership Agreement "Towards 2016" also provided that Inspection Services would be established on a regional basis. In this regard, regional Inspection Services offices are now operating in Shannon (temporary accommodation), Cork and Dublin while accommodation for the Sligo regional office has been selected.

In line with the commitment under "Towards 2016", joint investigation activity and exchange of information has commenced with Inspectors from NERA, the Revenue Commissioners and the Department of Social and Family Affairs. The necessary legislative provisions to enable the exchange of information between the three bodies came into effect on 30th March, 2007 with the enactment of the Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2007.

NERA carried out some 14,400 inspections and recovered some €2.5m in arrears for workers during its first year of operation in 2007. Specific inspections campaigns were targeted at enforcing the minimum wage, protecting young workers and at the construction sector. Over 93,000 calls seeking information on employment rights were received by NERA in 2007. NERA also continued with its prosecution remit with 98 cases being referred to the Chief State Solicitors Office in 2007.

NERA launched a major public awareness campaign on the 14th of January 2008 to introduce it to the general public. The style of the campaign is open, accessible and approachable, focusing in the first instance on NERA's role in providing information on employment rights related to questions that arise in the modern Irish workplace whether from employers or employees. The integrated campaign will be ongoing throughout 2008 across the full range of media including TV, radio, national and regional press, specialised publications, outdoor and web based advertising. The key message of the campaign is "Employment Rights, it's the law, you need to know".

The launch of NERA's website, www.employmentrights.ie, is also an important resource for employers and employees alike.

NERA continues to consult with its range of stakeholders and has initiated a structured dialogue with the parties to the Social Partnership Agreement, ICTU, IBEC and the Construction Industry Federation on the development of a comprehensive and responsive system of employment rights compliance and enforcement. NERA invited its key stakeholders to a briefing on the 10th of January in respect of its activity and National Awareness Campaign. NERA also engaged constructively during 2007 with other stakeholder organisations such as the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland and the Citizen Information Centres.

This is a new era for employment rights compliance and enforcement. With increased staff and new locations NERA will be extending its activities and capabilities and building a strong public profile. I wish the Authority well as it makes an enhanced contribution to the quality of our workplaces which is a key economic and social priority of this Government.