Vol. 560 No. 3
185 Mr. Boyle asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the monitoring of the abuse of employment rights that is being undertaken by her Department in relation to foreign workers employed under the work permit system; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2325/03]
The labour inspectorate of my Department is responsible for monitoring certain employment conditions for all categories of workers in Ireland, including foreign workers employed under the work permit system. Inspectors pursue alle gations of worker mistreatment for all the various categories of workers employed in Ireland, and when evidence of non-compliance with the relevant employment rights legislation is found, the inspectorate seeks redress for the individuals concerned and, if appropriate, a prosecution is initiated. The inspectorate operates objectively, fairly, impartially and without any differentiation with respect to worker nationality as statutory employment rights and protections apply to foreign workers employed under the work permit system in exactly the same manner as they do to native Irish workers.
In 2002 the inspectorate undertook slightly more than 8,300 inspections or visits, mainly dealing with issues arising from more than 1,000 case files, the national minimum wage, the Payment of Wages Act 1991, and employment regulation orders, and ensured the payment of €354,000 in arrears of wages to employees. Some 32 cases were referred to the Chief State Solicitor's office for legal proceedings, 25 of these arising from the investigative work of the labour inspectorate.
In addition to the investigative work undertaken by inspectors in 2002, work also commenced on the development of a new case management system to support streamlined work procedures in the labour inspectorate. The new IT system that is expected to come on line in June this year will be the result of considerable investment by my Department, approximately €750,00 when completed. It will provide the technological support to enable inspectors operate more effectively and efficiently in their interactions with employers and employees alike while also improving the interaction with the enforcement side of the process.
There is a policy in place in my Department whereby the processing of work permit applications for any employer is suspended when the Department becomes aware of any concerns regarding that employer's compliance with the obligations set out in the various employment rights enactments. If there is evidence that certain employers are exploiting foreign workers employed under the work permit system, it should be brought to the attention of the labour inspectorate for investigation and further action.
