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Summary: This report summarises individual observations and direct requests issued by the ILO Committee of Experts related to child labour conventions. To view the full reports, go to the ILOLEX database (http://www.ilo.org/ilolex/english/) and click on ‘display all documents related to a specific country’.
Scroll to: ________________________________________________ CEACR: Individual Observation concerning Convention No. 138, Minimum Age, 1973 Ireland (ratification: 1978) Published: 2001 The Committee notes the information provided by the Government, especially the adoption of new Protection of Young Persons (Employment) Act, 1996. It notes with interest that, under this Act, the minimum age for full-time work has been raised from 15 to 16 years of age. The Committee would draw the Government's attention to the possibility under Article 2, paragraph 2, of the Convention to declare a minimum age higher than that previously specified. The relevant legislation can be examined on the ILO's NATLEX website. As of 2001, the Committee has not received the Government's reply to the previous comments made in its 1998 observations. ________________________________________________ CEACR: Individual Direct Request concerning Convention No. 138, Minimum Age Convention, 1973 Ireland (ratification: 1978) Submitted: 2009 As of 2009 the Committee has not received Ireland's Government report. However, the Committee did note several issues, including: Article 2 of the Convention. Scope of application. In its previous comments, the Committee had noted the Government's statement that it is standard policy that Irish employment rights legislation affords protection to persons employed under a contract of services rather than a contract for services. However, the Protection of Young Persons (Employment) Act does not cover self-employed persons. The Committee had consequently requested the Government to indicate the measures taken or envisaged to ensure that the minimum age for admission to employment applies to all types of work, including self-employed work. Part V of the report form. The Committee noted in its report that according to the Government's indication that common violations of the Protection of Young Persons (Employment) Act of 1996 include young persons working at night, working in excess of 40 hours per week or in excess of eight hours per day and young persons not receiving their rest breaks. The Committee requested the Government to continue providing information on the practical application of the Convention, including statistical data on the employment of children and young persons, extracts from the reports of inspection services and information on the number and nature of the contraventions reported. ________________________________________________ CEACR: Individual Observation concerning Convention No. 182, Worst Forms of Child Labour, 1973 Ireland (ratification: 1978) No mention of children's rights. ________________________________________________ CEACR: Individual Direct Request concerning Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No.182) Ireland (ratification: 1999) Submitted: 2010 As of 2010 the Committee has yet to receive the Irish government's report. It hopes that a report will be supplied for examination by the Committee at its next session and that it will contain full information on the matters raised in its previous direct request, some of which read as follows: Article 3 of the Convention. Worst forms of child labour. Clause (a). All forms of slavery or practices similar to slavery Clause (b) Use, procuring or offering of a child for the production of pornography or for pornographic performances Clause (c). Use, procuring or offering of a child for illicit activities, in particular for the production and trafficking of drugs. In regards to this clause in particular, the Committee had previously noted that Ireland's Child Care Act protects children from the use of drugs but not from being used, procured or offered for the trafficking of drugs. As a result, the Committee requested the Government to indicate whether legal provisions exist prohibiting the use, procuring or offering of a child for illicit activities, including the production and trafficking of drugs. If not, it requests the Government to provide information on the measures taken to this end. Article 3, clause (d), and Article 4. Hazardous work. Self-employed workers. The Committee had previously noted that by virtue of section 1 of the Protection of Young Persons (Employment) Act, self-employed children are not covered by this Act. It had requested the Government to indicate the measures envisaged or taken to ensure the protection of self-employed workers under 18 years of age against hazardous work. To which the Government responded scoring that young persons are not generally employed on a self-employed basis (with the so-called "contract for services") as they would not, having particular regard to their age, the experience to work on such basis.