Vol. 419 No. 5
236 Mr. Bell asked the Minister for Labour the number of prosecutions that have taken place in relation to the level of abuse of overtime working, in accordance with the Conditions of Employment Act, 1936 over each of the past ten years.
The Conditions of Employment Acts, 1936 and 1944 regulate and control the conditions of employment, including overtime working, of workers engaged in industrial work.
No prosecutions in relation to overtime working have been taken under these Acts during the past ten years. In that regard, I should explain that my Department acts on the basis of complaints received under the relevant provisions of the Acts. While queries in relation to those provisions have been received from time to time, no substantive complaints have arisen since 1988, the earliest year for which records are now available.
It is relevant to mention that, in the context of a commitment made by the Government in the Programme for Economic and Social Progress, my Department is currently reviewing the Conditions of Employment Acts, 1936 and 1944 with a view to the enactment of up-to-date legislation reflecting modern conditions and which will also take account of the provisions of the proposed EC Directive on the Organisation of Working Time. It is my intention that this review will be completed before the end of the currency of the Programme.
