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Ireland’s labour market will take years to recover from the massive contraction that has occurred in the economy. Males, young people, low skilled workers and nationals from the recent EU Accession States have borne the brunt of the collapse in employment. Compared to previous recessions, more among the unemployed today have good levels of education, skills, and extensive work experience. The share of total unemployment that is long term is relentlessly rising. Significant groups do not appear on the Live Register, notably the ‘unemployed self-employed’ and people who have exhausted their entitlement to Jobseeker’s Benefit and whose spouses/partners continue to earn. These aspects require changes in approach if supports and services are to reach unemployed people and prevent them being scarred for the rest of their lives by their current unemployment.

The NESC Secretariat today argues that there are signs of economic recovery. However, to sustain and deepen recovery Ireland must continue to improve its underlying debt dynamics.

Report for the period 1 June 2009 to 31 May 2011, made by the Government of Belgium in accordance with article 22 of the Constitution of the International Labour Organisation, on the measures which it has taken to give effect to the provisions of the Tripartite Consultation (International Labour Standards) Convention, 1976 – Report No. 79

The aim of this English-language version of the SER’s Voorbeeldreglement ondernemingsraden. is to make it easier for Dutch branches of foreign companies to set up a Works Council, specifically by providing them with a tool for drawing up appropriate Rules of Procedure. The Voorbeeldreglement ondernemingsraden was originally published (in Dutch) in 1984. In recent years, however, there has been increasing demand for an English version, particularly from those foreign companies operating in the Netherlands who are required to have a Works Council. The English version follows the most recently published Dutch text of the Model Rules, which dates from 2010.

The Council sees a need to continue improving quality in products and services, to which more effective customer services should contribute. The opinion notes that the proliferation of such services in recent decades has helped strengthen consumers’ and users’ position in their relationships with suppliers. The steadily rising demand for customer care from service recipients along with a growing offering of customer care from service providers shows the need for a specific regulation providing mandatory quality parameters for customer services, so as to guarantee effective, good-quality customer service. The Council notes that the draft bill fails to regulate all customer services aimed at consumers and users.In this regard it remarks that the draft bill’s scope was the legislators’ choice, including customer services in a series of specific sectors but excluding others, such as postal services, or services such as those regulated by the bill when provided by public administration, and this the Council regards as unadvisable. A record of complaints, claims or issues notified by service recipients is vital in making their right to compensation effective and in following up such complaints and claims. Accordingly the Council welcomes the introduction of this requirement, though it considers that it should be reworded so as to make it clear that the medium for leaving a record of the complaint, claim or issue should be the same as that by which it was notified.In the Council’s view the availability of customer services should be in keeping with the hours in which the primary service is provided, so that those normally provided continuously would by covered by customer services twenty-four hours a day, all year round.The Council also believes that the bill should cover the provision of means to guarantee access to customer services for the disabled.

The opinion takes a favourable view of the objective of adjusting the regulation of workplace inspection and social security to the model resulting from the transfer of executive powers to various Autonomous Regions in the sphere of public inspection functions. Thus it regards a draft bill with these aims and purposes as timely and necessary. Moreover the Council sees the instruments and adjustments included in the draft bill as generally adequate. But it notes that in order for them to work properly a high degree of understanding, coordination and good faith between institutions will be required from the competent public authorities so as to guarantee effective and good-quality public service in the field.The Council considers that it would have been desirable for the reform of Law 42/1997, precisely because of the main aims it seeks to achieve, to have preceded the transfer of functions, services and public servants of the corresponding corps to the Autonomous Regions.

The Council approves the aim of guaranteeing the freedom to take up and pursue the funeral service business, and of updating a regulation dating from 1974.However, the Council remarks that the planned liberalization may in some cases be contrary to the provisions of Directive 2006/123 of 12 December on services in the internal market (the services directive).The Council deems that there is insufficient justification for asserting that there are no overriding reasons of public interest for considering the nature of certain activities involved in funeral services concerning public health, the protection of consumers, service recipients and workers or the environment, and the possible need should be considered of establishing a prior licensing system so that aspects whose importance requires greater specificity and stricter implementation will not depend on a mere statement of compliance.The opinion moreover notes that the text of the draft bill asserts that the resources employed in funeral services today are sufficient to prevent any appearance of public health risks. Accordingly it establishes a separation between health and non-health aspects which in the Council’s opinion appears unjustified, for the contrary is apparent throughout the draft bill.Indeed, one aspect which the draft bill does not provide for is any requirement for the qualification and consequent training of workers, whereas this is essential within the need to enhance professionalism in the field.

The opinion remarks that the text contains some steps forward and solutions that develop the current legislation, but other measures are lacking, so some aspects of the bill need further attention.In this respect the Council deems that the opportunity has been missed to include a section in the body of the bill defining the basic concepts in insurance contracts, so as to improve the technical jurisprudence and to give the sphere regulated by the bill more legal certainty.The Council notes that the regulatory role which may be played by the obligations assumed by companies as policyholders in the context of collective bargaining agreements and company agreements should be expressly provided for.Likewise, given that disabled people form a distinct group as regards the enjoyment of goods and services available to the public, including insurance, the Council considers that the draft bill should take account of the full range of disabilities and special needs in this sphere. As to the limits of insurance coverage regulated by article 5 of the bill, the Council considers that it would be more advisable to confine any invalidity of insurance clauses to those intended to cover penal or administrative sanctions for acts judged to be intentional, thereby permitting other clauses intended to cover sanctions as a result of negligence. Moreover the Council believes that in the case of clauses that are necessarily invalid because they are intended to cover sanctions as a result of intentional acts, provision should be made for a refund of the premium associated with such cover, thereby avoiding any unjust enrichment on the insurer’s part.