Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein)
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35. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of labour inspectors currently employed at the Workplace Relations Commission; how this compares with the allocated number of labour inspectors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10311/23]

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) is an independent, statutory body under the aegis of my Department, established on 1st October 2015 under the Workplace Relations Act 2015. The Commission’s core services include the inspection of employment rights compliance, the provision of information, the processing of employment agency and protection of young persons (employment) licenses and the provision of mediation, adjudication, conciliation, facilitation, and advisory services.

The WRC is staffed by approximately 200 civil servants from my Department. This number includes a current provision for 70 WRC Labour Inspectors. In the main, WRC inspectors rank at Executive Officer (EO) grade with Higher Executive Officers (HEO) grade, acting as Team Managers.

The WRC currently has 7 vacancies at Inspector level (6 EO Inspectors and 1 HEO Inspector). However, the WRC is actively recruiting inspectors, in what is a tight labour market, and I am advised that two new inspectors are due to take up their roles following a clearance process.

While the WRC is independent in its function and I have no role in its day-to-day operations, my Department fully supports and continues to work closely with the WRC in monitoring its staffing and budgetary requirements. This includes anticipating future resource requirements to ensure that it is supported and adequately resourced to carry out its important work.