On 9 February 2015 the Central Bank of Ireland published a statement of enforcement priorities for 2015. This is its fifth annual statement of areas on which it intends to focus in order to deter breaches of regulatory requirements and to promote high compliance standards within all regulated firms.
Financial RegulationThe Equality Tribunal (the Tribunal) recently issued its latest determination on the topical subject of age discrimination and compulsory retirement (Richard Lett v Earagail Eisc Teo (DEC E2014-076). The Tribunal awarded €24,000 to a seafood company employee who had his working hours reduced from five to three days a week for twenty eight weeks before he was forced to retire at 66.
EmploymentEvery executive in business inevitably meets competitors. Commercial life probably could not function if one did not meet competitors at some point – for example, at meetings of trade associations, where companies come together to tender for a job that none of them could do individually or when regulators and government agencies call industry representatives together to canvass the views of the in
EU, Competition & ProcurementThe Industrial Tribunal decision in Neil Bickerstaff –and- Gerard Butcher (Case Ref: 92/14) has attracted considerable media attention over recent days and with good reason. The decision is the first reported Tribunal decision on the question of whether obesity is a disability.
BelfastFollowing on from our update on 13 January last, the Labour Court has issued another interesting decision on the accrual of annual leave whilst on sick leave.
EmploymentThe European Commission has published an Action Plan to strengthen the fight against terrorist financing.
Financial RegulationHave your Irish employees been granted or exercised share options during 2014? If so, you need to be aware of a new electronic filing system that Irish Revenue has introduced for tax year 2014 onwards.
Pensions & IncentivesTonnage tax regimes are increasingly common worldwide. Under such schemes, shipping companies are taxed on the basis of the tonnage of their fleets rather than the actual profits of the companies
EU, Competition & ProcurementThe Circuit Court has dismissed Mr Shatter's appeal against the Data Protection Commissioner's (the DPC) decision that he breached the Data Protection Acts 1988 and 2003 (the DPAs), by disclosing Mr Wallace's personal information on RTE's Prime Time.
Commercial & TechnologyIt is very likely that new rules will be put in place for the grocery sector. The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation has published a draft of the proposed statutory instrument which will set out the rules. The Minister has asked for comments on the draft by the end of February. This A&L Goodbody client bulletin sets out key points of the proposed statutory instrument.
EU, Competition & ProcurementCBI publishes revised version of the Consumer Protection Code; The Consumer Protection Bill 2015 has been published; CBI publishes Patrick Honohan's speech from IMF-CEPR CBI Conference and its first issues of its Markets Update for 2015
FinanceUpdated Central Bank AIFMD Q&A; Central Bank AIFMD Reporting; ESMA Discussion Paper on UCITS Share Classes, Q&A on ETFs and other UCITS issues and Q&A on the Application on the AIFMD; AIFMD Reporting by national competent authorities to ESMA; MMF Regulation.
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