Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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38. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will write to the Central Statistics Office to formally request it to compile official statistics regarding zero hour and low hour contracts here. [18379/15]

Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour)
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In accordance with the Statement of Government priorities, I commissioned, last February, the University of Limerick (UL) to carry out a study into the prevalence of zero hour and low hour contracts and the impact of such contracts on employees. The appointment of UL follows a competitive tendering process. The key objectives of the study are:

- To fill the gap in knowledge that currently exists in terms of the hard data and information that is available concerning the prevalence of zero hour and low hour contracts in the Irish economy and the manner of their use.

- To assess the impact of zero hour and low hour contracts on employees.

- To enable the Minister to make any evidence-based policy recommendations to Government considered necessary on foot of the study.

The study will have a broad scope, covering both the public and private sectors, with a particular focus on the retail, hospitality, education and health sectors. The study will examine how zero and low hour contracts operate in practice and how they impact on employees. It will assess the advantages and disadvantages from the perspective of employer and employee and assess the current employment rights legislation as it applies to employees on such contracts. The study will also consider recent developments in other jurisdictions, including the UK in particular.

I should emphasise that, in respect of the specific matter raised by the Deputy, the terms of reference of the study allow for UL to identify how the information gap surrounding zero hour contracts and low hour contracts might be addressed in the future.