Minister Killeen welcomes prosecutions under the Protection of Young Persons Act

Minister for Labour Affairs, Mr. Tony Killeen T.D., welcomed the outcome of today’s (Friday 15^th July 2005) court hearings in which four employers who were prosecuted for multiple breaches of the Protection of Young Persons (Employment) Act 1996, received fines in excess of €20,000.

Among the breaches detected by the Labour Inspectorate were young persons working excessive hours, and in one case as late as 4.18 a.m. In another breach of the Act, a person under 16 worked for 11 hours in one day, four more than the legal maximum of seven hours.

Commenting on the outcome of the cases Minister Killeen said, “these cases along with recent similar prosecutions highlight for employers that breaches of this legislation will not be tolerated.”

ENDS/ LA 132