Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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60. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of inspections carried out by the workplace relations bodies on a county basis in each month in each of the years 2014 to 2015 and to date in 2017; the number of prosecutions undertaken in each county during that time; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45595/17]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) is an independent, statutory body which was established on 1st October 2015 under the Workplace Relations Act 2015. The WRC assumes the roles and functions previously carried out by the National Employment Rights Authority (NERA), Equality Tribunal, Labour Relations Commission (LRC), Rights Commissioners Service (RCS), and the first-instance (Complaints and Referrals) functions of the Employment Appeals Tribunal (EAT).

Inspectors of the WRC carry out inspections of employer records with a view to determining compliance with employment rights legislation. These inspections arise:

in response to complaints received of alleged non-compliance with relevant employment rightslegislation;

as part of compliance campaigns which focus on compliance in specific sectors or specific pieces of legislation, or

as routine inspections, which act as a control measure.

The aim is to achieve voluntary compliance with employment law through the provision of education and awareness, inspection of employers’ employment records and enforcement where necessary. While every effort is made to secure compliance, some employers either refuse or fail to rectify the breaches identified and/or pay money due to their employees. These cases are referred for prosecution.

Details in relation to the number of inspections and prosecutions undertaken in each county during 2014 to 2016 and to end September 2017 are provided in the tables below (a monthly breakdown of the figures for inspections undertaken is not available).

Inspections:

Prosecutions: