News & Events

New Employment Law Review Group - Minister appoints Chair and Members to the ELRG

The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Peter Burke TD, has signed Warrants of Appointment for the Chair and Ordinary Members of the Employment Law Review Group (ELRG).

Following an open call in November for Expressions of Interest for positions as Ministerial Nominees to the positions of Ordinary Member and Chair to the ELRG, which was open to all interested and suitably qualified parties, the Minister has appointed Professor Michael Doherty to be the Chairperson to the ELRG. Professor Doherty was the former Head of Maynooth University’s Law School and previously chaired the LEEF High-Level Working Group on Collective Bargaining.

Following the open call for Expressions of Interest, the Minister has signed Warrants of Appointment for six independent Ministerial nominees as Ordinary Members of the ELRG:

  • Dr Desmond Ryan
  • Cathy Smith
  • Kevin Duffy
  • Anne Lyne
  • Claire Bruton
  • Deirdre Malone

The Minister has also signed the Warrants of Appointment for the nominees put forward by the Nominating Bodies listed below.

Members of the ELRG will give their services voluntarily. All members have been appointed for a four-year term and can be re-appointed for up to two terms.  The Chairperson can serve up to ten years in total.

The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Peter Burke TD said: 

“I am pleased to appoint the Members and Chair of the Employment Law Review Group. The ELRG will provide a valuable resource in conducting ongoing assessments of employment law to ensure our legal framework is fit for purpose and adapts to changes in the evolving contemporary workplace.”

The ELRG’s function will be to monitor, review, and advise on all aspects of employment and redundancy law, with a specific focus on promoting good workplace relations in the State, simplifying the operation of employment and redundancy law in the State, and ensuring that the State’s suite of employment rights and redundancy legislation remains relevant and fit for purpose and is updated to reflect international developments.

Welcoming the appointments, Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail, Emer Higgins TD said: 

“The ELRG is comprised of members with an interest and expertise in the development of employment and redundancy law. This includes members from the legal professions; representatives from business, unions and regulators; as well as Ministerial nominees.” 

The ELRG’s focus will be more expert, technical, and legal rather than representative of stakeholders’ interests. Members will engage with the work programme of the ELRG and contribute to ELRG reports.

The ELRG comprises of members who have expertise and an interest in the development of employment and redundancy law, including practitioners (the legal profession and accountants/liquidators), users (business and unions), regulators (implementation and enforcement bodies) and representatives from government departments. 

Membership of the ELRG will consist of representatives of the bodies and agencies listed in Appendix 1 below. 

The legislative enactments that will be kept under review by the ELRG are listed in Appendix 2 below.

APPENDIX 1

Nominating body

  1. Chairperson – a member of ELRG who is appointed by Minister to be Chairperson
  2. The Irish Business and Employers Confederation (IBEC)
  3. The Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association (ISME)
  4. Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU)
  5. The Law Society of Ireland
  6. The Employment Bar Association
  7. Restructuring and Insolvency Ireland
  8. Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment
  9. Department of Social Protection
  10. Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
  11. Workplace Relations Commission
  12. The Courts Service
  13. Office of the Attorney General
  14. Chief State Solicitor’s Office
  15. Ministerial Nominees

APPENDIX 2

List of relevant employment and redundancy enactments

  1. Redundancy Payments Acts 1967–2014
  2. Protection of Employment Act 1977
  3. Payment of Wages Act 1991
  4. Unfair Dismissals Acts 1977–2015
  5. Organisation of Working Time Act 1997
  6. European Communities (Protection of Employees on Transfer of Undertakings) Regulations 2003
  7. Minimum Notice and Terms of Employment Acts 1973–2005
  8. National Minimum Wage Act 2000
  9. European Communities (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2000
  10. Protection of Young Persons (Employment) Act 1996
  11. Terms of Employment (Information) Acts 1994–2014
  12. Protection of Employees (Part-Time Work) Act 2001
  13. European Communities (Protection of Employees on Transfer of Undertakings) Regulations 2003
  14. Protection of Employees (Fixed Term Work) Act 2003
  15. Employees (Provision of Information and Consultation) Act 2006 (Section 21)
  16. Protection of Employment (Exceptional Collective Redundancies and Related Matters) Act 2007 (other than section 9(1) and 9(2))
  17. Protection of Employment (Temporary Agency Work) Act 2012
  18. Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2018
  19. Industrial Relations (Amendment) Act 2015
  20. Workplace Relations Act 2015
  21. European Union (Posting of Workers) Regulations 2016
  22. Registered Employment Agreements (REAs) and Sectoral Employment Orders (SEOs)
  23. Sick Pay Act 2022
  24. Payment of Wages (Amendment) (Tips and Gratuities) Act 2022
  25. Part 3 of the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023
  26. Part 2 of Employment (Collective Redundancies and Miscellaneous Provisions) and Companies (Amendment) Act 2024

ENDS