Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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50. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the position regarding the transfer of labour affairs functions in her Department to the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection; and the impact on legislative Bills already drafted in this area. [38317/17]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The transfer of functions in question came into effect on 1 September 2017 pursuant to the Labour Affairs and Labour Law (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2017, S.I. No. 361 of 2017.

The employment policy and legislative functions listed beneath transferred from the former Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation to the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection. Work on relevant draft legislation will not be impacted as a result of the transfer of functions but will fall to be progressed by my colleague the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection.

At a national level:

- Lead on Employment Rights Policy and Legislation. This covers responsibility for eleven primary Acts governing employment rights in Ireland and related policy issues.

- Lead on the Low Pay Commission, established to make recommendations annually to the Minister on the appropriate level of the National Minimum wage and related areas.

- Lead on legislation in relation to the national minimum wage and related areas. This entails the transfer of Ministerial responsibility for the national minimum wage under the NMW Act 2000 and the Minimum Wage (Low Pay Commission) Act 2015.

At EU/International level

- Lead role and co-ordination of the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs (EPSCO) Council.

- Lead responsibility for the Treaty based Employment Committee (EMCO) and the EU Semester process.

- Lead responsibility for Ireland’s response and input on the EU Pillar of Social Rights.

- Lead responsibility for Ireland’s engagement with Eurofound, the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions.

- Lead responsibility for the Council of Europe Social Charter and co-ordination of responses on the Social Charter.