Vol. 529 No. 4
62 Mr. Broughan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the terms of reference of the monitoring group set up to monitor and assess the implementation of the National Minimum Wage Act, 2000; the number of inspections carried out to date to ensure compliance with the Act; the number of prosecutions initiated to date in this regard; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2995/01]
The National Minimum Wage Act, 2000, came into force on 1 April 2000 and delivered on the Government's commitment in its programme for Government to introduce a national minimum hourly wage. During the passage of the National Minimum Wage Bill, 2000, through the House, the Minister gave a commitment to establish a tripartite monitoring group. The group was established in June last year and comprises representatives of ICTU, IBEC and my Department. The remit of the group is to monitor and assess the implementation of the Act and report its findings and any recommendations to the Minister. The group has met twice since June 2000 and a further meeting is planned for early next month.
The ESRI has been commissioned to carry out a follow-up survey to the firm survey it carried out in late 1998/early 1999. The results of the 1998-99 firm survey formed part of the ESRI study, published in June 1999, of the likely impact of the introduction of the national minimum wage. The results of the follow-up survey are expected during May and will assist the monitoring group in its work.
The legislation is enforced by all 17 inspectors attached to the labour inspectorate of my Department. Since the commencement of the Act a total of 3,396 compliance inspections have been carried out by the inspectorate. Infringements have tended to be of a rather minor nature and to be more the result of misunderstanding or misinterpretation of the provisions of the Act than of deliberate intention to defraud. They have normally been rectified through the intervention of the visiting inspectors and, with one exception which is under consideration, the need for legal prosecution has not arisen.
