Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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316. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation his plans to provide extra resources to the Employment Appeals Tribunal, given the 72-week waiting list for a hearing; his views that such a delay is unfair; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34401/15]

Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour)
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I am committed to fully supporting the Employment Appeals Tribunal as it works through its disposal of the legacy cases it had on hand prior to the establishment of the Workplace Relations Commission. With effect from 1st October, the activities of the Labour Relations Commission, the National Employment Rights Authority, the Equality Tribunal and the first instance functions of the Employment Appeals Tribunal and the Labour Court were merged into a new Body of First Instance, known as the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC). The appellate functions of the Employment Appeals Tribunal are now incorporated into an expanded Labour Court. From 1st October all complaints fall to be referred to the Workplace Relations Commission in the first instance, and, on appeal, to the Labour Court.

The Deputy may wish to note that recent figures indicate that the average waiting time for a hearing by the Employment Appeals Tribunal is 60 weeks which marks a significant reduction from a waiting time of 76 weeks in 2011.