
State agencies to implement new rules aiming to enhance transparency in political ads
Minister for Housing
James Browne
, whose department oversees policy around elections, will update Cabinet Ministers on the implementation of new European Union regulations that will affect political advertising published after next October 10th.
While final decisions are still to be made on which State body will take responsibility for each specific aspect, a Coalition source indicated
Coimisiún na Meán
would be a 'natural fit' for online material.
Consideration is also being given as to which agency would be best placed to police offline material such as election posters.
READ MORE
The new rules aim to make it easier for voters to recognise political advertisements, understand who is behind them and to know if they have received a targeted advertisement.
Mr Browne will also brief the Cabinet on plans to provide €73.9 million for rural community water schemes, of which there are about 750 across State supplying 125,000 homes. The multiannual rural water programme will support 291 projects that supply 63,000 homes not served by national water utility
Uisce Éireann
.
Meanwhile, Minister for Children
Norma Foley
will brief the Cabinet on plans to bring the
Tuam
intervention office under the indemnity of the
State Claims Agency
(SCA). This step will allow the SCA to handle any potential claims against the office and is standard practice for newly-established public bodies.
The office is charged with recovering, where possible identifying, and reburying remains of children inappropriately buried at the site of the former mother and baby home in Tuam, Co Galway.
On tariffs and trade, Minister for Enterprise
Peter Burke
will bring an action plan on market diversification to the Cabinet today. A key part of the Government's plan to respond to the looming threat of tariffs is to find new valuable markets and supply chains for Irish exporters. Mr Burke will formally launch this next month alongside Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade
Simon Harris
.
Mr Harris will today tell Ministers the EU will 'intensify' negotiating efforts with the US ahead of the August 1st deadline for trade talks. Ministers will also hear that Minister for Health
Jennifer Carroll MacNeill
will defer the introduction of health warnings on
alcohol
labels by two years, amid concerns that the labels could make Ireland less competitive internationally.
The mandatory health labels had been due to be brought in next year. Last week it was reported that the proposal would be delayed until 2029. They have now been deferred for two years rather than three to 2028.
Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries
Martin Heydon
will bring forward a memo on behalf of Minister for State
Timmy Dooley
seeking to ban industrial trawlers from fishing within six nautical miles of the Irish coast. Such a measure had previously been attempted in 2019, but was subsequently overturned in a case taken by two fishermen in 2023.
The ban, which will apply to trawlers above 18m, is part of a plan to make inland fishing more sustainable and fairer for smaller fishermen. The ban is expected to face legal challenge, though it is understood the Government believes its legal position is 'robust'.
Minister for Social Protection
Dara Calleary
will give an update on the report of the registrar general which shows a 1.1 per cent decrease in births, a 0.2 per cent increase in deaths and a 3.8 per cent decrease in marriages.
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Irish Independent
2 hours ago
- Irish Independent
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Irish Times
3 hours ago
- Irish Times
Chef working for Camile restaurant awarded €39,000 by WRC after dispute over pay and time off
A chef working at a Cork branch of restaurant chain Camile has been awarded more than €39,000 at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC). The dispute arose when the employee was told he was being moved to Dublin weeks after attempting to claim three days' statutory sick leave, the hearing was told. Sujeer Thayyil had been employed since April 2019 by Santry Food Services, which is owned by Pramod Thankappan and Saritha Pramod and operates five Camile branches under franchise arrangements. In October 2023 he sought three days' statutory sick pay amounting to €308.70 for certified leave, a hearing at the WRC was told. READ MORE But the request was not acknowledged by management, who then told him he was being moved with immediate effect from Bishopstown, Cork, where he was normally based, to work in a Dublin branch, the WRC heard. The hearing, overseen by WRC adjudication officer Breiffni O'Neill, was told he had not received any clear explanation of what had prompted the instruction to relocate. Mr Thayyil, an Indian national, said he was not in a position to move as he could not find accommodation in Dublin for himself and his family without financial support from the company. It said it did not provide relocation expenses. The company then said it would move him to the company's Douglas branch in Cork, but when he reported for work there it became clear he had been demoted and would work as second chef rather than chef de partie with his pay reduced from €37,180 a year to €35,000. He was also told he would be subject to a six-month probation period despite having already worked for the company for four years. A stand-off developed between the two sides and on December 28th the company emailed Mr Thayyil asking that he confirm his willingness to work. He said he was ready to work, but did not accept the demotion and would do so under protest. The hearing, at which the chef was represented by Sylwia Nowakowska of the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland, heard his response was not acknowledged and on February 19th the complainant sent an email seeking to clarify whether he had been dismissed. This was also, he said, ignored. The following month he lodged complaints alleging a list of employment law breaches including unfair dismissal, non-payment of Sunday premiums, non-payment for hours in excess of his contracted 39-hour working week, non-payment for public holidays and breaches of regulations related to breaks and days off. The company, represented by Conor White, conceded breaches in relation to public holidays, annual leave and rest days. But he argued Mr Thayyil had been responsible for ensuring he took his breaks and that he was paid all of the money owed in relation to some of the other claims, including the 10 per cent Sunday premium, which, it said, had been factored into his hourly pay. Mr Thayyil said this was not possible as his hourly pay had initially been set at the minimum required to obtain a work permit and so could not include any premiums. In his decision, the adjudicating officer found eight of the 10 complaints before the hearing to be well-founded though not the one taken under section eight of the Unfair Dismissals Act, 1977. 'When the complainant notified the respondent of his intention to file a complaint with the WRC, the respondent replied the same day stating that the complainant's contractual position remained available to him … which is inconsistent with any suggestion that the complainant had been dismissed,' Mr O'Neill said. In relation to the eight complaints upheld, however, he ordered the payment of back money or compensation totalling €39,413.98 which included the €308.70 in sick pay.