Feb 2015

Article

The public consultation on the use of zero-hours contracts in Northern Ireland closed at the end of September 2014. Following the consultation process, Minister Farry announced this week that an outright ban on 'zero-hours' contracts will not be introduced in Northern Ireland and stated that '[s]uch a ban could have unintended consequences in relation to individuals and employment opportunities'.

Feb 2015

Article

The legislation which provides for the establishment of the Irish Collective Asset-management Vehicle (the ICAV) has now been passed by both Houses of the Oireachtas. The ICAV is a new form of corporate vehicle specifically tailored for the funds industry. The ICAV will sit alongside the available fund structures in Ireland, namely the variable capital company (VCC), the unit trust, the common con

Feb 2015

Article

The Central Bank of Ireland today published a report of its observations in relation to Anti-Money Laundering (AML), Countering the Financing of Terrorism (CFT) and Financial Sanctions (FS) compliance by banks in Ireland.

Feb 2015

Article

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.

Feb 2015

Article

The 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.

Feb 2015

Article

Every 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

Feb 2015

Article

The 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.

Feb 2015

Article

Following 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.

Feb 2015

Article

The European Commission has published an Action Plan to strengthen the fight against terrorist financing.

Feb 2015

Article

Have 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.