Thursday, 21 Feb 2013

Written Answers Nos. 20-30

Proposed Legislation

Questions (21, 49)

Dara Calleary

Question:

21. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will support the proposed structured non-judicial debt settlement system outlined in the report submitted to him by the Company Law Review Group in September; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9096/13]

Timmy Dooley

Question:

49. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation when he will make a decision on the structured non-judicial debt settlement system proposed by the report submitted to him by the Company Law Review Group in September; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9082/13]

Written answers

Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation

I propose to take Questions Nos. 21 and 49 together.

The Company Law Review Group (the CLRG) spent several months last year considering the feasibility of introducing a new structured and non-judicial debt settlement scheme for small and medium sized companies. I received the CLRG’s report at the end of September and, shortly after that, I brought that report to the attention of the Government. The CLRG made five recommendations, which it separated into two categories – those that can be implemented straightaway and those that require more analysis.

The CLRG’s main conclusion was that there are some amendments that could be made to the existing process of examinership that would reduce costs and make it more easily available to small private companies. Accordingly, its first recommendation was that the Companies Acts be amended to allow small private companies to apply directly to the Circuit Court, rather than first to the High Court. As for medium sized companies, the CLRG recommended that they continue to have the option of going to the High Court for the appointment of an examiner. I have agreed with these recommendations and included provisions to give effect to them in the Companies Bill 2012, which was published on 21 December 2012.

The CLRG went on to say that there could be scope for reducing the role of the courts in examinership further, and made proposals for the appointment of an examiner by an administrative, rather than judicial, decision. The CLRG envisaged that this procedure would require the involvement of a State agency to exercise this administrative decision, and identified the forthcoming new Insolvency Service, to be established under the Personal Insolvency Act 2012, as the most appropriate agency. However, it acknowledged that implementation of these recommendations would require more consideration, not least as the Insolvency Service is not yet in operation.

I and my Department are assessing the appropriateness and practical implications of the State providing an administrative body to facilitate SME restructuring. We will also take into account the experience of the Insolvency Service once it has been established and in operation for a while.

For clarity, a small company is defined by section 8 of the Companies (Amendment) Act 1986. That section says that a private company shall qualify as a small company in respect of any financial year if, in that year and the one immediately preceding it, the company satisfies at least two of the following conditions –

a) Its balance sheet total for that year shall not exceed €4.4 million

b) The amount of its turnover for that year shall not exceed €8.8 million, and

c) The average number of people employed by the company in that year shall not exceed 50.

Question No. 22 answered with Question No. 6.

Trade Relations

Questions (23)

Mary Lou McDonald

Question:

23. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will detail in monetary value the volume of trade carried out between the north and south of Ireland by sector for the past five years. [9043/13]

Written answers

Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation

The Central Statistics Office (CSO) views the United Kingdom as a whole for services trade data. Therefore, it is not possible to provide separate Great Britain and Northern Ireland figures. However they can be separated for Goods Trade. The table details the data sought by the Deputy.

North South Trade

		Exports (€000)	Exports (€000)	Exports (€000)	Exports (€000)	Exports (€000)	Imports (€000)	Imports (€000)	Imports (€000)	Imports (€000)	Imports (€000)
Category	SITC Code	Jan-Dec 2008	Jan-Dec 2009	Jan-Dec 2010	Jan-Dec 2011	Jan-Dec 2012	Jan-Dec 2008	Jan-Dec 2009	Jan-Dec 2010	Jan-Dec 2011	Jan-Dec 2012
Live animals other than animals of Division 03	0	14,604	17,729	32,850	46,586	59,411	20,501	7,046	8,176	12,580	11,593
Meat & meat preparations	1	159,527	117,289	106,238	122,320	151,349	47,272	50,223	52,607	58,842	64,877
Dairy products & birds’ eggs	2	60,603	47,926	61,829	94,971	74,582	117,284	82,867	99,779	128,356	123,475
Fish, crustaceans, molluscs and preparations thereof	3	7,746	5,395	6,091	5,304	7,307	5,961	8,018	8,906	10,325	11,150
Cereals & cereal preparations	4	51,904	32,789	35,107	70,741	64,268	47,458	36,225	44,371	46,743	49,550
Vegetables & fruit	5	28,936	31,676	33,552	39,527	45,111	19,311	35,560	36,723	34,143	34,519
Sugar, sugar preparation & honey	6	6,602	6,492	5,437	4,302	7,316	3,980	4,579	5,044	4,222	4,977
Coffee, tea cocoa, spices & manufactures thereof	7	10,190	8,508	7,919	9,098	11,174	977	2,742	1,439	2,958	2,683
Feeding stuff for animals (excl. unmilled cereals)	8	67,314	52,301	53,482	71,911	61,685	36,337	33,300	41,381	57,558	89,913
Miscellaneous edible products & preparations	9	8,087	10,018	13,464	14,318	14,654	3,241	3,529	3,724	5,702	4,298
Beverages	11	124,486	92,155	109,586	98,381	92,867	165,289	157,645	153,956	144,081	82,018
Tobacco & tobacco manufactures	12	17	8	57	53	61			2	5
Hides, skins & furskins, raw	21	340	154	274	1,052	1,684	532	201	109	6	60
Oil seeds & oleaginous fruits	22	3,387	943	1,275	1,726	1,629	5,964	7,605	9,389	8,526	9,278
Crude rubber (include synthetic & reclaimed)	23	345	259	287	158	115	552	6	3	3	18
Cork & wood	24	37,342	29,704	36,404	34,944	34,543	24,715	17,994	17,127	17,429	15,617
Pulp & waste paper	25	5			395		73	67	28	5	455
Textile fibres & their wastes	26	97	491	1,554	2,996	2,833	187	64	34	274	732
Crude fertilisers & minerals, excl. coal, petroleum etc.	27	7,709	8,538	5,856	7,262	7,661	44,810	24,763	29,167	25,755	24,437
Metalliferous ores & metal scrap	28	1,235	1,064	3,365	4,385	6,438	3,260	2,141	2,978	3,719	3,220
Crude animal & vegetable materials nes	29	1,024	2,612	1,931	1,936	2,371	2,102	2,400	2,767	2,241	1,651

North South Trade Table (contd.)

		Exports (€000)	Exports (€000)	Exports (€000)	Exports (€000)	Exports (€000)	Imports (€000)	Imports (€000)	Imports (€000)	Imports (€000)	Imports (€000)
Category	SITC Code	Jan-Dec 2008	Jan-Dec 2009	Jan-Dec 2010	Jan-Dec 2011	Jan-Dec 2012	Jan-Dec 2008	Jan-Dec 2009	Jan-Dec 2010	Jan-Dec 2011	Jan-Dec 2012
Coal, coke & briquettes	32	7,075	5,717	3,857	2,903	10,452	14,089	12,078	13,294	18,607	10,474
Petroleum, petroleum products & related materials	33	4,667	5,033	4,459	6,865	5,330	35,498	21,801	26,330	36,463	35,652
Gas, natural & manufactured	34	2,780	1,700	2,780	2,792	3,751	3,319	5,062	6,650	7,917	13,672
Electric current	35						3,842	6	2,895	2,888	1
Animal oils & fats	41	602	147	203	962	1,332	1,858	1,614	2,750	5,713	4,734
Fixed vegetable fats & oils	42	506	480	1,107	4,873	5,451	5,572	5,384	6,699	8,513	8,533
Animal or vegetable materials nes	43	574	421	378	468	480	1,073	677	1,093	824	361
Organic chemicals	51	4,204	3,861	3,739	3,038	1,698	2,564	1,937	2,702	2,878	3,339
Inorganic chemicals	52	11,495	7,516	8,138	6,609	7,392	1,848	1,171	1,257	1,102	996
Dyeing, tanning & colouringmaterials	53	13,671	7,936	5,103	2,599	2,943	1,039	882	652	1,218	1,130
Medical & pharmaceutical products	54	11,635	8,813	9,541	12,286	18,591	10,513	10,277	20,987	10,171	10,529
Essential oils, perfume materials; toilet & cleansing preps	55	59,116	47,087	46,866	48,108	47,787	2,981	5,178	6,062	4,540	5,089
Fertilisers (other than those of Division 27)	56	849	1,468	1,152	1,354	2,278	5,551	6,259	7,799	8,878	9,647
Plastics in primary forms	57	21,787	15,233	18,940	17,331	13,464	2,426	1,602	2,633	2,203	1,621
Plastics in non-primary forms	58	15,831	11,958	19,647	23,089	21,005	25,171	18,449	14,731	13,512	12,505
Chemical materials & products nes	59	62,769	48,253	55,087	53,131	49,681	8,774	5,615	4,461	4,629	4,844
Leather; leather manufactures nes; dressed furskins	61	255	142	145	106	94	166	132	194	120	94
Rubber manufactures nes	62	6,499	5,429	5,000	6,804	8,682	5,189	6,553	4,962	5,133	6,698
Cork & wood manufactures (excl. furniture)	63	16,918	12,428	12,540	12,984	14,967	29,247	15,166	13,803	9,420	9,066
Paper, paperboard & articles thereof	64	14,618	14,070	15,243	14,853	17,964	29,943	32,325	36,567	40,196	49,397

North South Trade Table (contd.)

		Exports (€000)	Exports (€000)	Exports (€000)	Exports (€000)	Exports (€000)	Imports (€000)	Imports (€000)	Imports (€000)	Imports (€000)	Imports (€000)
Category	SITC Code	Jan-Dec 2008	Jan-Dec 2009	Jan-Dec 2010	Jan-Dec 2011	Jan-Dec 2012	Jan-Dec 2008	Jan-Dec 2009	Jan-Dec 2010	Jan-Dec 2011	Jan-Dec 2012
Textile yarn, fabrics, made-up articles & related products	65	7,212	10,698	10,611	13,308	16,159	17,984	12,044	10,813	13,098	18,081
Non-metallic mineral manufactures nes	66	96,479	84,422	76,437	64,783	57,707	69,895	37,553	26,987	25,813	22,257
Iron & steel	67	31,470	11,852	13,573	15,259	14,903	40,023	15,059	15,133	19,322	16,014
Non-ferrous metals	68	6,031	4,352	5,818	6,015	5,031	1,389	789	603	715	468
Manufactures of metals nes	69	44,499	31,304	31,804	36,345	34,747	35,614	21,586	21,527	18,962	14,918
Power generating machinery & equipment	71	695	937	1,518	5,807	7,353	30,481	4,698	5,177	7,444	7,905
Machinery specialised for particular industries	72	40,326	34,754	31,796	32,321	30,982	36,168	14,964	15,735	16,440	14,442
Metalworking machinery	73	788	637	807	595	899	759	524	351	407	338
General industrial machinery & equipment nes & parts nes	74	29,121	15,582	21,138	19,767	22,049	14,791	10,074	10,237	10,921	11,046
Office machines & automatic data processing machines	75	22,639	6,242	4,090	3,265	6,949	828	958	990	1,185	1,143
Telecommunications & sound equipment	76	5,554	3,435	3,028	3,225	2,723	1,893	1,332	1,211	1,507	711
Electrical machinery, apparatus & appliances nes & parts	77	22,880	19,286	20,969	16,487	15,157	8,547	5,072	5,747	4,646	6,046
Road vehicles (include. air-cushion vehicles)	78	58,267	28,279	24,704	26,658	23,265	39,651	16,309	20,049	24,724	26,343
Other transport equipment	79	5	1,216	756	713	1,304	360	238	210	144	130
Prefab buildings; plumbing & electrical fixtures & fittings	81	9,584	6,978	6,538	5,590	7,930	12,384	6,846	4,960	3,847	3,654
Furniture & parts thereof; bedding, cushions etc	82	10,762	9,716	13,729	15,895	16,011	18,789	14,277	9,695	6,745	8,364
Travel goods, handbags & similar containers	83	446	1,268	1,121	1,049	969	252	418	639	578	796
Articles of apparel; clothing accessories	84	7,641	30,155	38,596	42,519	38,623	17,336	10,663	6,838	10,097	11,969
Footwear	85	755	2,220	3,655	4,076	3,583	485	241	230	112	561
Professional, scientific & controlling apparatus nes	87	8,825	7,623	9,746	18,594	22,244	2,730	3,753	2,750	2,301	2,173
Photographic apparatus; optical goods; watches clocks	88	494	613	1,676	1,145	339	666	454	859	521	472
Miscellaneous manufactured articles nes	89	110,636	91,323	103,714	88,339	66,326	57,985	36,542	34,175	35,453	37,677
Special transactions and commodities not classified according to kind	93	19,702	28,296	21,300	16,890	15,525	8,656	6,998	8,491	11,767	7,130
Coin ( other than gold coin ), not being legal tender	96							18
Gold, non-monetary ( excluding gold ores and concentrates )	97						93	8	22	15	1
All other commodities and transactions	99	182,370	191,302	148,528	129,996	153,808	103,084	90,517	92,058	82,103	87,855
Totals		1,564,532	1,286,233	1,326,135	1,422,162	1,444,987	1,261,312	941,078	989,718	1,047,265	1,023,397

Economic Growth Rate

Questions (24)

Clare Daly

Question:

24. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will report the share of GDP going to labour in 1990, 2000, 2006, 2011 and 2012, unit labour costs here annually since 2006, with 2005 equal to 100 and industrial capacity utilisation in the economy here in each year since 2005. [9168/13]

Written answers

Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation

As regards the share of GDP going to labour in 1990, 2000, 2006, 2011 and 2012, I am advised that relevant data is only available since 1994 and is not yet available for 2011 or 2012. The following table sets out Ireland’s share of GDP going to labour in the years 2000 and 2006. The figure for 2010 is also provided as this is the latest data available.

Labour Income Share (Real ULC)

2000	2006	2010
56%	58%	61%

As regards annual unit labour costs, the following table sets out latest available details for Ireland since 2006, with 2005 equal to 100:

Index OECD base year (2005 =100)

2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
100	104.3344	108.5145	115.3145	108.9089	101.0712

As regards industrial capacity utilisation data, I am advised that the AMECO capacity utilisation series was discontinued in 2008 and the CSO has confirmed that they do not collect such data.

Matters in relation to GDP data fall generally within the remit of the Department of Finance. However, there is a range of data available on publicly accessible websites such as CSO, Eurostat and AMECO and I will arrange for my officials to send the relevant website links to your office.

Prompt Payments

Questions (25, 32, 36, 44)

Éamon Ó Cuív

Question:

25. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the way he will help small and medium enterprises receive prompt payment from all public bodies employing their services; the regularity with which he engages with other Government Departments and agencies on the issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9085/13]

Sandra McLellan

Question:

32. Deputy Sandra McLellan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the steps taken to ensure that small businesses are not adversely affected by late payments by Government agencies. [9054/13]

Sandra McLellan

Question:

36. Deputy Sandra McLellan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will detail the impact of late payments by Government agencies on the small business sector. [9055/13]

Robert Troy

Question:

44. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the action he is taking to ensure that small and medium enterprises are paid promptly by all public bodies employing their services; the way he engages with other Government Departments and agencies on this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9071/13]

Written answers

Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation

I propose to take Questions Nos. 25, 32, 36 and 44 together.

Prompt Payment for goods and services rendered is critical to the effective working of any economy and is an issue to which this Government is committed.

The reduction in the number of late payments in commercial transactions is one of the ten principles cited in the Small Business Act for Europe as a means to help SMEs to deal with the difficult market conditions currently being experienced and is a principle which this Government strives to adhere to.

My Department promotes improved payment practices and monitors on a quarterly basis the operation of the Prompt Payment of Accounts Act, 1997, and the Late Payment in Commercial Transactions Regulations, 2002.

At Present the issue of late payment is covered by the European Communities (Late Payment in Commercial Transactions) Regulations 2002 (S.I. No. 388 of 2002). Under these Regulations, it is an implied term of every commercial transaction that where a purchaser does not pay for goods or services by the relevant payment date, the supplier shall be entitled to interest (late payment interest) on the amount outstanding.

The Late Payment Directive was recast in 2011 to modernise the law in this area. Ireland must transpose the Recast Directive (2011/7/EU) to repeal the old legislation and modernise the old rules by March 2013. I am happy to inform the House that I signed the Statutory Instrument transposing Directive 2011/7/EU on 22 December 2012 and this will come into effect on 16 March 2013 in full compliance with the Directive’s requirements.

The proposed legislation will act as a deterrent to late payment and as a driver for payment on time by establishing a clear expectation in law that payment will be made according to agreed terms.

In addition to legislating for prompt payments, since 2009, Central Government Departments have been improving their respective payment times and are now obliged to pay their suppliers within 15 days of receipt of a valid invoice. This 15 day prompt payment rule was introduced by the Government on an administrative basis. Departments are required to report Quarterly to my Department on their performance in meeting this target. The latest set of quarterly composite figures published on 30 January, 2013 by my Department show that 98% of payments made by Government Departments, valued at €1.25bn, were paid to suppliers within 15 days.

On 2 March 2011, the 15 day prompt payment rule was extended beyond central Government Departments and rolled out to the Health Service Executive, the Local Authorities, State Agencies, and all other Public Sector Bodies, (excluding Commercial Semi-State bodies), in respect of valid invoices received, on or after, 1 July 2011.

As part of this new extended arrangement, parent Departments are required to publish on their respective websites Quarterly composite reports covering those bodies under their aegis. The individual bodies covered by this arrangement are also required to publish their own Quarterly reports on their respective websites.

These new reporting arrangements will ensure that Ministers will be able to monitor the performance of the bodies under their aegis and will enable them to address any issues with those bodies who are not meeting obligations in respect of prompt payments.

The Government will continue to pursue work in this area which is critically important to the cash requirements of business. The Action Plan for Jobs 2013, which is currently being developed and will be published shortly, is a key element in the Government's policy approach to rebuilding the economy and getting people back to work. It will continue to build on the recent achievements by driving the 15 day payment period across the public sector and enhance the ability for business to attach officially new payment requirements to relevant invoices. It will also deliver on enhanced working relationships with representative bodies to ensure that business is fully aware of developments in this area.

Business Regulation

Questions (26)

Brian Stanley

Question:

26. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the efforts he has made to reduce the cost of doing business in the past two years. [9066/13]

Written answers

Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation

Reducing costs for business is a central theme of the Action Plan for Jobs. The 2012 Action Plan included an extensive range of measures across Government which will help to reduce costs for business generally and support job creation.

My Department and agencies have undertaken several initiatives to support this objective, including: reforming the statutory wage setting mechanisms; reducing administrative burdens by 24.9% in the areas of Employment Law, Company Law and Health & Safety Law, amounting to potential annual savings for business of almost €207 million; reductions were also made last year in various fees charged by the Registrar of Friendly Societies to co-operative societies, and by the Patents Office for certain patents and design services.

There is also a range of other cost reduction measures being pursued by other Government Ministers through the work of their own Departments and bodies under their remit. Examples include the freezing or reduction of the Annual Rate of Valuation (ARV) by 87 out of 88 Local Authorities in 2012, and the exemption of payment of Corporation Tax for new business start-ups in their early years of operation.

Updates on these, and all other commitments in the 2012 Action Plan for Jobs, are detailed in the Quarterly Progress Reports on the Plan which are available on my Department’s website, www.enterprise.gov.ie.

Further pro-enterprise tax measures were announced in Budget 2013, including further improvements to the Corporation Tax relief for start-up companies and the increasing of the cash receipts basis threshold for VAT, which will improve cash-flow for small and medium sized enterprises.

The 2013 Action Plan for Jobs will build on the progress made last year and will set out a number of new initiatives to further reduce business costs and support job creation. The Plan has been approved by Government and will be launched in the coming days.

Question No. 27 answered with Question No. 11.

Job Creation Data

Questions (28)

Pádraig MacLochlainn

Question:

28. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of jobs created and supported by InterTradeIreland in the past five years; the average cost of each of these jobs; and if he will compare and contrast these costs with Enterprise Ireland, Invest NI and the Industrial Development Agency. [9044/13]

Written answers

Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation

The number of jobs created and supported by InterTradeIreland in the past five years was 1,594. Based on the analysis of 2012 jobs impact (new jobs created plus existing jobs protected), the average cost of each of these jobs was €12,251. For the period 2005-2011, Enterprise Ireland’s "Cost per Job Sustained" was €12,024. Enterprise Ireland’s "Cost per Job Sustained" measure is calculated by Forfás and takes into account all direct agency expenditure on all client companies in a seven year period. Only jobs created during, and sustained at the end of each seven year period, are represented in the calculations.

The cost per job for IDA Ireland in the same period was €14,202. The figure is calculated by taking into account all IDA Ireland expenditure to all firms in the period. Similarly, only jobs created during and sustained to the end of each seven year period are credited in IDA’s calculations.

Invest NI is a Northern Ireland agency under the remit of the Northern Ireland Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment.

Job Creation Data

Questions (29)

Michael Colreavy

Question:

29. Deputy Michael Colreavy asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of jobs created in County Leitrim in 2012 by Enterprise Ireland; and the number of jobs lost in Enterprise Ireland supported business and the number of employers that created these supported jobs. [9059/13]

Written answers

Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation

Support provided by EI for companies can be financial and non-financial and impacts on the company over a period of time. EI works in partnership with Irish enterprises providing a cohesive set of supports to help them start, grow, innovate and win export sales on global markets driving sustainable economic growth, regional development and employment creation. Clients can also gain access to international markets through Enterprise Ireland overseas offices, and participation on trade missions, trade fairs and client buyer events. These initiatives assist companies to grow and sustain their businesses over a period time of time.

In 2012, in the 45 client companies of Enterprise Ireland in County Leitrim, there were 574 people employed on a full time basis. Across these companies, 54 jobs were created in 2012, while 16 were lost, giving a net change of 38.

Departmental Bodies

Questions (30)

Clare Daly

Question:

30. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will report on waiting times for cases to be heard and staffing levels in the Rights Commissioner and Labour Court in the past three years. [9169/13]

Written answers

Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation

The Rights Commissioner Service staffing levels expressed in terms of Full Time Equivalent (FTEs) for the 3 years in question are as follows:

	Rights Commissioners	Administrative staff
2010	15	19.6
2011	14	19.6
2012	14	17.1

The time taken from the receipt to the hearing of a complaint which is adjudicated upon by the Rights Commissioner Service for the 3 years in question are as follows* :

	2010	2011	2012
Rights Commissioner Service	40 weeks	14 weeks	12/14 weeks

*It should be noted that these are approximate figures as complaints under the Industrial Relations Acts and the Unfair Dismissals Acts are subject to a 21 day objection period. Parties are given minimum of 4 weeks’ notice of a hearing and either party can seek an adjournment to a hearing.

The Labour Court staffing levels again expressed in terms of FTEs are as follows:

	Labour Court Members and Registrar	Administrative staff
2010	9.4	22.9
2011	9.4	20.63
2012	9.4	15.63

The majority of the Labour Court's Dublin based cases are heard within 12 weeks and the majority of regional cases are heard within 6 months. This has been unchanged since 2010.

As you may be aware, I am undertaking a root and branch reform of all five Workplace Relations Bodies. The Reform Programme I have commenced will deliver a World-Class Workplace Relations structure. I propose to establish a two-tier Workplace Relations structure. This means that from next year two statutorily independent bodies will replace the current five. We will have a new single body of first instance to be called the Workplace Relations Commission and a separate appeals body, which will effectively be an expanded Labour Court. All complaints will be dealt with by a single body of first instance where the aim will be to have a hearing within three months from the time the case is lodged.

Considerable progress has been achieved to date. Two public consultations have been undertaken, two policy papers published, a Single Contact Portal established, a Single Complaint Form developed, a new website www.workplacerelations.ie published and a Pilot Early Resolution Service put in place. In addition the Equality Tribunal has transferred from my colleague the Minister for Justice and Equality to me in preparation for its integration into the new Workplace Relations Commission.

A significant amount of work has been completed on the Workplace Relations Bill which will give statutory effect to the Reforms. The Scheme of the Workplace Relations Bill was approved by Government, in July 2012, for priority drafting. The Cabinet has also approved the inclusion of the Workplace Relations Bill on the Government's A-list of legislation planned for the Spring 2013.

The reform will establish a modern fully functional workplace relations system that will play a major role promoting and maintaining harmonious and productive workplaces. It will greatly improve the workplace relations service to users, while also reducing the cost to business and the exchequer at the same time.