Parental Leave Act, 1998

Appeal from decision of rights commissioner.

19.—(1) A party concerned may appeal to the Tribunal from a decision or direction of a rights commissioner under section 21 and the Tribunal shall receive any relevant evidence tendered by a party to the dispute.

(2) An appeal under this section shall be initiated by a party to the dispute concerned giving to the Tribunal, as soon as may be and in any event not later than 4 weeks from the date on which the decision was given to the party, a notice in writing to the Tribunal containing such particulars (if any) as may be prescribed and the Tribunal shall give a copy of the notice to the other party concerned as soon as may be after the receipt by it of the notice.

(3) A person whose evidence has been, is being or is to be given before the Tribunal, or who produces or sends a document to the Tribunal, pursuant to a notice under subsection (4) or who is required by such a notice to give evidence or produce a document to the Tribunal or to attend before the Tribunal and there to give evidence or produce a document shall be entitled to the same privileges and immunities as if the person were a witness before the High Court.

(4) The Tribunal may, by giving notice in that behalf in writing, require any person to attend before the Tribunal on a date and at a time and place specified in the notice and there to give evidence and to produce any document in his or her possession or power specified in the notice or to send to the Tribunal any document in his or her possession or power specified in the notice or require a person in attendance before the Tribunal pursuant to a notice under this subsection to produce to the Tribunal any document in his or her possession or power specified in the requirement.

(5) Paragraphs (a) and (e) of subsection (17) of section 39 of the Redundancy Payments Act, 1967 , shall apply for the purposes of this section as it applies for the purposes of the said section 39 with the modification that “£1,500” shall be substituted for “£150” and with any other necessary modifications.

(6) Proceedings for an offence under the said subsection (17), as applied by this section, may be brought and prosecuted by the Minister.

(7) If a person gives false evidence before the Tribunal in proceedings under this section in such circumstances that, if the person had given the evidence before a court, the person would be guilty of perjury, the person shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction on indictment thereof to the penalties applying to perjury.