Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 January 2018
155. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the number of the recommendations which have been implemented from the report of the Government task force on non-EEA workers in the Irish fishing fleet in December 2015; the recommendations that have not been implemented to date; and the reason therfor. [2733/18]
View answer156. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation her views on the report on the position of non-EEA crew in the Irish fishing fleet under the atypical worker permission scheme by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Business, Enterprise and Innovation; and the timetable for implementation of the report's recommendations. [2734/18]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 155 and 156 together.
I would draw the Deputy’s attention to the fact that lead policy responsibility for the fishing sector resides with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the atypical work permission scheme referred to by the Deputy is administered by the Department of Justice and Equality and the Irish National Immigration Service (INIS) on behalf of that Department.
The 2015 Report by the Government Task Force on non-EEA workers in the Irish fishing fleet to which the Deputy refers was convened and chaired by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
My Department was a member of that Task Force and fully participated in its work and in the implementation of the Report’s recommendations impacting on aspects of policy responsibility for my Department. These arise in the context only of workplace inspections under employment law and health and safety activities, reflecting the respective responsibilities of the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) and of the Health and Safety Authority (HSA).
The Deputy refers also to the Report published in December 2017 by the Joint Committee on Business, Enterprise and Innovation on non-EEA crew in the Irish Fishing Fleet under the Atypical Worker Permission Scheme. As outlined, I do not have lead policy responsibility for the fishing sector so the Report overall will fall to be considered by the Minister with responsibility for the fishing sector.
However, I can confirm that my Department is examining this Report carefully in the context of any recommendations that come within my policy remit. On a preliminary examination, the Report contains 12 recommendations of which 2 come within my area of responsibility and relate to the activities of the WRC. My Department will engage with the WRC in the context of pursuing these recommendations.
