Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 February 2015
267. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he is satisfied with the manner in which the Equality Tribunal conducts itself and deals with cases that are brought to its attention; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7680/15]
View answerThe Equality Tribunal is a quasi- judicial and independent statutory body set up under the Employment Equality Act 1998 to investigate and decide on complaints of discrimination. The Equality Tribunal as one of the quasi-judicial bodies of this Department and is operated independently of the Minister and as such the Minister does not interfere in the exercise by that body of its quasi-judicial functions including how it deals with cases. All decisions of the Equality Tribunal may be appealed to the Labour Court or the Circuit Court depending on the legislation. As with all quasi-judicial bodies it is subject to the oversight of the High Court through the system of Judicial Review. Such review is the appropriate channel to seek a remedy for any dissatisfaction a party to a complaint may have with either a decision issued or the processes involved.
The Workplace Relations Bill currently before the Oireachtas is expected to be enacted early this year. On commencement, the Equality Tribunal will cease to exist and all cases on hands and all new cases will be a matter for the Workplace Relations Commission.
The establishment of the Workplace Relations Commission, replacing the Equality Tribunal as well as the Labour Relations Commission, the Employment Appeals Tribunal and the National Employment Rights Authority will allow greater resources to be applied to processing complaints of discrimination and a quicker and more efficient service is expected.
