I propose to take Questions Nos. 1640 to 1645, inclusive, together.
My Department has responsibility, amongst other matters, for ensuring that all workers, regardless of age, enjoy the protections afforded by Ireland’s robust employment rights legislation and have safe working conditions which meet stringent health and safety requirements.
It would appear that the attribution of responsibility to my Department for objectives under the National Positive Ageing Strategy may stem from responsibilities attributed to the former Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment prior to the significant reconfiguration of Government Departments in 2010 and 2011. My Department has brought these changes in Departmental remit to the attention of the Department of Health, which has overall responsibility for implementation of the Strategy and for co-ordinating with relevant Government Departments to ensure delivery of the Strategy.
The Deputy may be aware that the Inter-departmental Group on Fuller Working Lives (IDG), chaired by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER), was established by the Government last year to consider policy around retirement age in both the public and private sectors. The IDG concluded its work last summer and the Group’s report was published in August by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. The IDG made a number of recommendations, one of which related to my specific area of responsibility. On foot of that recommendation I wrote to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) to request them to prepare a Code of Practice under Section 42 of the Industrial Relations Act, 1990 around the issue of longer working, which should set out best industrial relations practice in managing the engagement between employers and employees in the run up to retirement, including requests to work beyond what would be considered the normal retirement age in the employment concerned. I understand that the WRC has commenced work on preparing the Code, in consultation with relevant stakeholders.