Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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907. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of agency workers employed in the State for each year since 2008, in tabular form. [13636/16]

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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908. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number and size of employment agencies operating in the State for each year since 2008. [13637/16]

Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 907 and 908 together.

An “agency worker” means an individual employed by an employment agency under a contract of employment by virtue of which the individual may be assigned to work for, and under the direction and supervision of, a person other than the employment agency. Under the EU Directive on Temporary Agency Work, temporary agency workers have the right to equal treatment in basic working and employment conditions. This Directive was transposed into Irish legislation by the .

With effect from 1^stOctober 2015, the activities of the Labour Relations Commission, the National Employment Rights Authority (NERA), 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 Workplace Relations Commission (formerly NERA), has processed the applications for employment agency licences and issues these licences since 2012.

Employment Agency licences are renewed on an annual basis. The application form is a prescribed form under the Employment Agency Act, 1971. Under the Act, there is a requirement for a licenced employment agency to provide a half yearly return relating to the number of persons who applied to the agency for employment, the number placed in employment and details of persons placed outside the State.

Employment Agency returns are on a manual basis and are usually made at the time of renewal of the licence. The number of agency workers employed in the State for each year since 2008 is not currently available.

The following table shows the number of licences issued in each year from 2008 to 27^thMay 2016.

There were 582 licences in force on 27^thMay 2016.

A complete list of all licences in force is available on