WHAT TO KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR…
...what is new, changing, potentially changing or what you may have missed...
With 2014 now in our rear view mirror, we look back on three of the key highlights and developments over the course of the last 12 months.
The Protected Disclosures Act 2014
The Protected Disclosures Act 2014 was enacted on 15 July 2014 and is Ireland’s first comprehensive piece of legislation which enables workers to make protected disclosures, better known as whistleblowing.
Prior to the introduction of the Act, protection for whistleblowers was contained in several pieces of legislation directed only at particular matters such as health and safety and child abuse. The aim of the new legislation is to provide for greater protections for workers who make “protected disclosures” under the Act.
Retirement & Pensions
From the 1st of January 2014 the State Pension age in Ireland increased from the age of 65, to 66. From the 1st of January 2021 the State Pension age will increase to 67 years of age, and from 1st January 2028 this will increase to 68.
Retirement Age & Pensions is a topic that has continued to gain momentum in the Employment Law sphere. In the past number of years, there has been a surge in case law directly linked to retirement age of Employees, and whether Organisations can stand over compulsorily retiring Employees from work on the attainment of a certain age. At the present time, there is no compulsory retirement age for Employees across Ireland, however that is not to say that Organisations cannot enforce retirement age for Employees of the Organisation when same is objectively justified and there is a business reason for this.
New Freedom of Information Act
In October of this year, the new Freedom of Information Act was signed into law by President Michael D Higgins.
Among the important enhancements is the provision which extends Freedom of Information requests to all public bodies as a default, representing a reversal of the previous position.
The Bill also allows Freedom of Information to apply to non-public bodies that are in receipt of significant funding by the Exchequer by way of Ministerial Order.
The vast majority of Freedom of Information requests will now be free of charge as the €15 application fee will be abolished for all Freedom of Information requests and the search, retrieval and copying fees will only apply where the preparation time for a request exceeds 5 hours.
With 2014 now in our rear view mirror, we look back on three of the key highlights and developments over the course of the last 12 months.
The Protected Disclosures Act 2014
The Protected Disclosures Act 2014 was enacted on 15 July 2014 and is Ireland’s first comprehensive piece of legislation which enables workers to make protected disclosures, better known as whistleblowing.
Prior to the introduction of the Act, protection for whistleblowers was contained in several pieces of legislation directed only at particular matters such as health and safety and child abuse. The aim of the new legislation is to provide for greater protections for workers who make “protected disclosures” under the Act.
Retirement & Pensions
From the 1st of January 2014 the State Pension age in Ireland increased from the age of 65, to 66. From the 1st of January 2021 the State Pension age will increase to 67 years of age, and from 1st January 2028 this will increase to 68.
Retirement Age & Pensions is a topic that has continued to gain momentum in the Employment Law sphere. In the past number of years, there has been a surge in case law directly linked to retirement age of Employees, and whether Organisations can stand over compulsorily retiring Employees from work on the attainment of a certain age. At the present time, there is no compulsory retirement age for Employees across Ireland, however that is not to say that Organisations cannot enforce retirement age for Employees of the Organisation when same is objectively justified and there is a business reason for this.
New Freedom of Information Act
In October of this year, the new Freedom of Information Act was signed into law by President Michael D Higgins.
Among the important enhancements is the provision which extends Freedom of Information requests to all public bodies as a default, representing a reversal of the previous position.
The Bill also allows Freedom of Information to apply to non-public bodies that are in receipt of significant funding by the Exchequer by way of Ministerial Order.
The vast majority of Freedom of Information requests will now be free of charge as the €15 application fee will be abolished for all Freedom of Information requests and the search, retrieval and copying fees will only apply where the preparation time for a request exceeds 5 hours.
