---

Prof Michael Doherty leads employment-law group

The Government has appointed Professor Michael Doherty to chair a group that will examine all aspects of employment law. 

Prof Doherty is the former head of Maynooth University’s Law School and previously chaired a Government-appointed group that reviewed collective bargaining. 

Peter Burke (Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment) has also named six independent ministerial nominees to the Employment Law Review Group (ELRG), which will also include representatives of expert, technical, legal, Government, and regulatory bodies. 

The ministerial appointees are: 

• Dr Desmond Ryan,
• Cathy Smith,
• Kevin Duffy,
• Anne Lyne,
• Claire Bruton, and
• Deirdre Malone. 

Four-year terms 

The minister has also signed warrants of appointment for members put forward by the other nominating bodies, which include the Law Society. 

The Law Society has nominated Donal Hamilton (McCann FitzGerald, small picture), who is a member of its Employment and Equality Law Committee, to serve on the group. 

All members have been appointed for a four-year term and can be re-appointed for up to two terms. The chair can serve up to ten years in total. 

The ELRG’s function will be to monitor, review, and advise on all aspects of employment and redundancy law, with a specific focus on promoting good workplace relations, simplifying the operation of employment and redundancy law, and ensuring that legislation in the area is updated to reflect international developments 

The department has stressed that the group’s focus will be more expert, technical, and legal, rather than representative of stakeholders’ interests.