Written answers

Thursday, 5 July 2018

Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation

Workplace Relations Commission

Photo of Maurice QuinlivanMaurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

182. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of workplace relations inspectors employed in each of the years 2015 to 2017 and to date in 2018; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29886/18]

Photo of Maurice QuinlivanMaurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

183. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of staff employed by the Workplace Relations Commission in each of the years 2015 to 2017 and to date in 2018; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29887/18]

Photo of Maurice QuinlivanMaurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

184. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of workplace inspections by WRC inspectors that took place in each of the years 2015 to 2017 and to date in 2018; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29888/18]

Photo of Maurice QuinlivanMaurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

185. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the budget of the Workplace Relations Commission in each of the years 2015 to 2017 and to date in 2018; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29889/18]

Photo of Pat BreenPat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 182 to 185, inclusive, together.

The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) is an independent, statutory body under the aegis of the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation, established on 1st October 2015 under the Workplace Relations Act 2015. The WRC assumed the roles and functions previously carried out by the National Employment Rights Authority (NERA), the Equality Tribunal (ET), the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) and the first-instance functions of the Employment Appeals Tribunal (EAT).

The WRC’s core functions include the carrying out of inspections of employer records in relation to employment rights compliance, the provision of information, adjudicating on complaints under employment rights, equality and industrial relations legislation and the provision of mediation, conciliation and advisory services.

The inspection and enforcement services of the WRC endeavour to achieve voluntary compliance with employment law through the provision of education and awareness, inspection of employers’ employment records. In instances where employers either refuse or fail to rectify the breaches identified and/or pay money due to their employees these cases are referred for prosecution.

Table 1: The number of workplace relations inspectors employed at the end of 2015, 2016, 2017 and to date in 2018 is as follows:

Number of Inspectors in WRC201520162017To date in 2018
Administrative Officer Team Managers1111
HEO Inspection Team Managers6665
Executive Officer Inspectors:48485154

The WRC is staffed by civil servants who are part of the overall staffing of my Department. The details at table 2 set out the number of staff employed in the WRC at end of 2015, 2016, 2017 and to date in 2018.

Table 2: The number of staff employed by the WRC at the end of 2015, 2016, 2017 and to date in 2018 is as follows:

Number of staff in the WRC201520162017To date in 2018
Headcount168162173186
Full time equivalents159.96154.36165.09179.33

The WRC carries 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 rights legislation;

- As part of targeted campaigns which focus on compliance in specific sectors or specific pieces of legislation, or

- As routine inspections, which act as a control measure.

Table 3: The number of workplace inspections by WRC inspectors in 2015, 2016, 2017 and to date in 2018 is as follows:

YearNumber of Inspections
20155,185
20164,830
20174,750
2018 (to 30 June)2,911

As the WRC was established late in the 2015 fiscal year, the budgets of the individual workplace relations bodies,(which were amalgamated to form the WRC), remained unchanged until the following year. The pay/non-pay budget allocations of the various workplace relations bodies in 2015 were as follows:

Table 4: Pay and non-pay budget allocation for Workplace Relations Bodies 2015.

2015 Non- pay€000 Pay €000Total€000
National Employment Rights Authority (NERA)8625,1836,045
Labour Relations Commission (LRC)8144,1304,944
Employment Appeals Tribunal (EAT)4222,9603,382
Equality Tribunal (ET)2391,4601,699

The budget allocation for the WRC is made up of pay and non-pay elements in support of the work activities of the Commission. Officials of my Department work closely with the WRC during the annual estimates process to ensure that adequate funding is provided to enable the WRC to fulfil its mandate. Details of the WRC’s funding in terms of pay and non-pay for 2016, 2017 and 2018 are set out at table 5.

Table 5: The WRC budget allocation for pay and non-pay in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Workplace Relations Commission (WRC)Non- pay€000Pay €000Total €000
20162,48910,08112,570
20172,31411,06513,379
20182,31411,70014,014

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.