Written Answers Nos. 496-503
496. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment to provide details of all active interdepartmental, interagency, and department-agency working groups organised under his remit. [10153/26]
View answerThe information requested is currently being collated by my Department and will be forwarded directly to the Deputy as soon as it is finalised.
497. Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment whether concerns regarding contradictions or omissions in a parent company 2024 audited accounts (details supplied) have been brought to the attention of the Corporate Enforcement Authority, and whether these matters are being examined. [10228/26]
View answerThe CEA is independent in the performance of its functions under Section 944D(4) of the Companies Act 2014. No Minister within the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment has the power to intervene in investigations or decisions taken by the Authority.
I would urge anyone who has concerns about a potential breach of the Companies Acts to bring these concerns to the attention of the CEA. The CEA can be contacted via their website at cea.gov.ie, by email at info@cea.gov.ie, or by telephone The contact details are available on their website - cea.gov.ie.
500. Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment whether his Department has received complaints relating to allegations of bullying, coercion, intimidation, or unfair treatment of franchisees or workers, of a company (details supplied); and the company protections that exist for individuals raising such concerns. [10231/26]
View answer501. Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment whether the Workplace Relations Commission has received complaints or cases relating to workers or franchisees (details supplied) concerning employment rights, misclassification, or unfair treatment. [10233/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 500 and 501 together.
My Department has not received complaints that come within the scope of the Deputy’s question.
Ireland has a robust suite of employment rights legislation, which offers extensive protections to workers. The employment rights legislation under my Department’s remit is applied horizontally across all sectors and is not targeted at any particular sector. It is important to note that all employers, regardless of sector, are responsible for ensuring that their employees receive the protections afforded to them under employment legislation.
The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) is an independent statutory office under the aegis of my Department. The WRC’s functions include adjudication, mediation and conciliation on employment complaints, information provision, and inspection of employer records for compliance.
Where an employee considers their employment rights have been breached, they may refer a complaint to the WRC. Whether a person is an employee under employment rights legislation may be determined by the WRC’s Adjudication Service and the Labour Court (on appeal), as a preliminary issue in cases before them.
The WRC does not comment on individual cases, and given the independence of the WRC, it is not appropriate for me as Minister to either comment or intervene when the WRC exercises its statutory functions.
503. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if he and or officials attached to his State aid unit reviewed and or scrutinised a decision of ISIF to support a company and the subsequent evolution of the investment (details suppled). [10444/26]
View answerThe Department of Enterprise Tourism and Employment is the national point of contact for State aid and, in this capacity, provides advice and guidance on European State aid rules to granting authorities on request. While the State Aid Unit in the Department offers support on the design and structure of State aid measures and schemes, it does not advise on the administration of those schemes or the eligibility of a specific undertaking for a scheme, as these are the responsibility of the relevant granting authority.
The State Aid Unit of this Department did not advise ISIF in relation to the decision referred to in the question.
