asked the Minister for Labour if he intends to amend the legislation in relation to unfair dismissal; and if so, the proposals he is considering bringing before the House.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Unfair Dismissals Legislation.
19.
I have put proposals for the amendment of the Unfair Dismissals Act before the Government. Pending Government approval for the drafting of an amending Bill I am not in a position to detail the amendments I have proposed. I hope to obtain Government approval in the near future.
The ICTU and other bodies have been asking for this legislation to be amended. Will the Minister give a broad outline of which amendments are being considered?
The review of the Act was completed in 1984. That involved consultations with both sides of industry and interested parties. Proposals for amending legislation were then prepared and submitted to Government for approval in November 1984. The main proposals for change were as follows: reduction in the service requirement for qualification under the Act from one year to 26 weeks; appeals from decisions of the tribunal to be limited to appeals in the High Court on a point of law only; the introduction of a system of pre-hearing assessments to screen cases and to reduce delays by limiting frivolous, vexatious or ineligible cases; an extension of the time limit for lodging an appeal from six months from the date of dismissal to 12 months where cause for delay is shown.