Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 7 July 2022
155. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of inspections carried out by the Workplace Relations Commission in each of the years 2015 to date in 2022 by NACE sector; the number of breaches detected; the counties in which the breaches were detected; and the type of breaches detected in tabular form. [36846/22]
View answerThe Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) is an independent, statutory body under the aegis of my Department, established on 1st October 2015 under the Workplace Relations Act 2015. The WRC’s primary functions include the inspection of employment law compliance, the provision of information on employment law, mediation, adjudication, conciliation, facilitation, and advisory services.
Inspections carried out by WRC Inspectors operate on a compliance model. This means that an inspector will work with the employer to ensure that the employer fulfils all their statutory obligations and that any outstanding wages or entitlements are given to workers.
From January, 2019, the WRC has utilised a new inspection case management system which provides richer data generally and in term of sectoral reporting is based on NACE sector. Prior to 2019 a WRC sectoral reporting tool had been utilised. Table 1 sets out by NACE sector the number of inspections carried out by the WRC in each of the years 2015 to 30 June 2022. Table 2 sets out the number and the type of breaches detected in the period and Table 3 sets out the counties where the breaches were detected.
Table 1: Inspection cases concluded 2015-2022 by Sector
|
Sector |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
|
Agriculture |
78 |
47 |
48 |
106 |
71 |
41 |
|
Construction |
94 |
69 |
75 |
81 |
219 |
150 |
|
Contract Cleaning |
29 |
24 |
18 |
22 |
41 |
48 |
|
Domestic Work |
48 |
22 |
20 |
5 |
8 |
6 |
|
Electrical |
8 |
5 |
6 |
11 |
12 |
18 |
|
Equine |
54 |
45 |
19 |
13 |
||
|
Fisheries |
9 |
95 |
40 |
47 |
64 |
|
|
Food & Drink |
838 |
717 |
645 |
656 |
1,856 |
1,641 |
|
Hair & Beauty |
100 |
89 |
79 |
121 |
375 |
466 |
|
Health |
83 |
73 |
78 |
69 |
85 |
132 |
|
Hotels & Accommodation |
75 |
89 |
55 |
64 |
188 |
144 |
|
Security |
21 |
17 |
20 |
18 |
17 |
31 |
|
Transport |
58 |
43 |
61 |
71 |
67 |
87 |
|
Education |
30 |
29 |
||||
|
Wholesale & Retail |
416 |
295 |
258 |
363 |
1,049 |
3,941 |
|
Sports & Recreation |
31 |
|||||
|
Manufacturing |
79 |
45 |
38 |
48 |
53 |
222 |
|
Professional Services |
124 |
126 |
124 |
218 |
85 |
|
|
Other Sectors |
323 |
283 |
332 |
236 |
215 |
564 |
|
Not specified |
2,811 |
2,877 |
2,741 |
3,579 |
421 |
4 |
|
TOTAL |
5,185 |
4,830 |
4,747 |
5,753 |
4,804 |
7,686 |
|
Sector |
2021 |
2022 (to 30 June) |
|
Agriculture |
57 |
24 |
|
Construction |
71 |
40 |
|
Contract Cleaning |
17 |
13 |
|
Electrical |
4 |
1 |
|
Equine Activities |
2 |
1 |
|
Fishing |
28 |
15 |
|
Food Service Activities |
763 |
653 |
|
Hair & Beauty |
243 |
126 |
|
Hotels |
38 |
39 |
|
Human Health & Social Work |
75 |
31 |
|
Manufacturing |
156 |
35 |
|
Security |
16 |
9 |
|
Transport |
60 |
22 |
|
Other Sectors |
488 |
240 |
|
Wholesale & Retail Trade |
2,414 |
614 |
|
TOTAL |
4,432 |
1,863 |
Table 2: Number of Contraventions detected 2015-2022 by Type
|
Type |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
|
National Minimum Wage |
269 |
292 |
409 |
503 |
143 |
88 |
|
Employment Permits |
531 |
404 |
509 |
448 |
362 |
115 |
|
Protection of Young Persons (Employment) |
5 |
11 |
12 |
15 |
157 |
68 |
|
Unauthorised deductions |
102 |
65 |
||||
|
Records |
1,938 |
1,502 |
1,553 |
1,961 |
1,153 |
876 |
|
Sunday Compensation |
76 |
199 |
274 |
248 |
142 |
|
|
Annual Leave & Public Holidays |
98 |
321 |
450 |
927 |
520 |
|
|
Employment Agency |
10 |
10 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
|
|
Terms of Employment |
1 |
5 |
26 |
57 |
674 |
521 |
|
Payslips |
149 |
113 |
||||
|
Others |
267 |
172 |
||||
|
TOTAL |
2,744 |
2,398 |
3,039 |
3,710 |
4,184 |
2,681 |
|
Type |
2021 |
2022 (to 30 June) |
|
National Minimum Wage |
222 |
72 |
|
Employment Permits |
191 |
112 |
|
Protection of Young Persons (Employment) |
92 |
12 |
|
Unauthorised deductions |
66 |
33 |
|
Records |
1,040 |
925 |
|
Sunday Compensation |
160 |
108 |
|
Annual Leave & Public Holidays |
553 |
394 |
|
Employment Agency |
2 |
1 |
|
Terms of Employment |
657 |
460 |
|
Payslips |
158 |
76 |
|
Others |
265 |
104 |
|
TOTAL |
3,406 |
2,297 |
Table 3: Number of Employers in Breach 2019-2022 by County
|
County |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 (to 30 June) |
|
Antrim |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
|
Carlow |
13 |
12 |
28 |
12 |
|
Cavan |
9 |
21 |
39 |
30 |
|
Clare |
27 |
19 |
33 |
17 |
|
Cork |
17 |
39 |
27 |
48 |
|
Donegal |
10 |
31 |
46 |
29 |
|
Down |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Dublin |
120 |
292 |
278 |
195 |
|
Galway |
73 |
52 |
51 |
64 |
|
Kerry |
15 |
28 |
11 |
15 |
|
Kildare |
49 |
93 |
90 |
53 |
|
Kilkenny |
16 |
23 |
31 |
15 |
|
Laois |
16 |
25 |
31 |
11 |
|
Leitrim |
11 |
4 |
14 |
4 |
|
Limerick |
53 |
47 |
45 |
22 |
|
Longford |
19 |
12 |
21 |
11 |
|
Louth |
19 |
65 |
30 |
25 |
|
Mayo |
33 |
36 |
44 |
13 |
|
Meath |
29 |
70 |
57 |
21 |
|
Monaghan |
13 |
32 |
22 |
23 |
|
Offaly |
30 |
44 |
27 |
17 |
|
Roscommon |
16 |
20 |
20 |
6 |
|
Sligo |
8 |
6 |
17 |
10 |
|
Tipperary |
28 |
65 |
59 |
50 |
|
Tyrone |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
|
Waterford |
5 |
42 |
60 |
26 |
|
Westmeath |
50 |
53 |
46 |
30 |
|
Wexford |
58 |
83 |
67 |
20 |
|
Wicklow |
50 |
80 |
53 |
21 |
|
Total |
789 |
1294 |
1249 |
789 |
