Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)
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10. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation when he intends to bring legislation before Dáil Éireann regarding the abolition of the Employment Appeals Tribunal; the extent of the proposed reforms; and when he expects same to be implemented. [24136/13]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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The Government is committed to reform of the State's Workplace Relations Services. The system that developed over the last sixty years had become unwieldy and complex; it lacked consistency, involved long delays and in some cases proved expensive for users.

In short, the system was no longer fit for purpose and it was for this reason that I have commenced a root-and-branch reform with the objective of establishing a world-class Workplace Relations Service. I propose to establish a two-tier Workplace Relations structure. This will involve two statutorily independent bodies replacing the current five. We will have a new single body of first instance to be called the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) and a separate appeals body, which will effectively be an expanded Labour Court.

The WRC will replace the Labour Relations Commission, the National Employment Rights Authority, the Equality Tribunal and undertake the first instance functions of the Employment Appeals Tribunal (EAT) and the Labour Court. The Labour Court will take on the appellate functions of the EAT. These four bodies, including the EAT, will then be dis-established following the transfer of their functions to the WRC. The reform programme is not about abolishing any particular body. It's about creating a two-tier workplace relations dispute resolution system that will be fit for purpose for many generations to come. The process which I have proposed to achieve this necessarily involves the incorporation of the five existing bodies into two.

Significant progress has been made to date and I am happy to report that in the last year a number of priority actions have been successfully delivered within the target timescale. While considerable progress has been achieved to date on an administrative basis, completing the proposed reform requires the enactment of detailed legislation in order to provide the statutory basis for the new structures and processes.

A significant amount of work has been completed on the preparation of the Workplace Relations Bill which will give statutory effect to the Reform proposals. In July 2012, I published a policy document - Legislating for a World Class Workplace Relations Service - which was submitted to the Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation in order to give the Committee an early opportunity to shape the legislation. I had a constructive dialogue with the Committee on the basis of this document.

Enactment of the Bill will necessitate amendments to 22 primary Acts, 12 specified parts or sections of Acts and 71 statutory instruments. The Scheme of the Workplace Relations Bill has been approved for priority drafting by the Cabinet and was included on the 'A' list for the Government's Summer Legislative Programme 2013. Engagement is on-going with the Attorney General's Office and I am committed to the enactment of the legislation at an early stage with a view to having the proposed new structures in place from 2014.

I intend to progress the reform programme to the next stage with the same determination that has delivered the achievements to date. I am working towards delivery of the new two-tier Workplace Relations structure so that from next year two statutorily independent bodies will replace the current five.

In the meantime, I intend to continue to progress the reform and bring about further enhancements for users of the services on an administrative basis in the coming months.