Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
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644. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her plans to introduce guidelines to protect child care workers in sporadic employment. [14842/16]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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The terms and conditions of employment in the early years sector are matters to be agreed between employer and employee. My Department makes no recommendations in relation to these matters.

I have raised this issue with the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (DJEI), within whose remit the issue of employment rights falls, and I understand that Ireland’s body of employment rights legislation protects all employees who are legally employed on an employer-employee basis. Therefore, once it is clear that a person is working under a contract of employment (written or verbal), on a full-time or part-time basis, that person has the same protection under employment law as other employees.

Anyone with concerns regarding employment rights can contact the Workplace Relations Customer Service and Information Unit which provides information on employment, equality & industrial relations legislation. It can be contacted at Lo-call: 1890 80 80 90 or via its website www.workplacerelations.ie.