David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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83. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will address a matter raised in correspondence by a nursing agency (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26440/22]

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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Under the Employment Agency Act 1971, an employment agency operating in Ireland must hold a licence to carry out its business. If an employment agency has a premises in the state, it must obtain a licence. An employment agency operating outside Ireland will be subject to regulation, if any, of the jurisdiction in which it is located. The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC), on behalf of the Department, deals with applications for employment agency licences.  The licence is renewed on a yearly basis at an annual fee of €500.

An applicant for a licence must, in the opinion of the Minister, be a person of good character and repute. The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment verifies this by means of two independent references vouching for the good character of the applicant and by means of a Vetting Disclosure from the Garda Síochána National Vetting Bureau that there is nothing in their records that would render the applicant unsuitable to hold an employment agency licence.

Further information regarding the license application process can be found at www.workplacerelations.ie.

It is an offence for an employment agency to carry on business without an employment agency licence. Under section 10 (1) of the Employment Agency Act, 1971, as amended by section 19 of the Protection of Employees (Fixed-Term Work) Act 2003, a person guilty of an offence under the Act shall be liable on summary conviction to a Class C fine not exceeding €2,500 and in the case of a continuing offence to a further Class D fine not exceeding €1,000 a day.