The High Court has confirmed that Ryanair was not the employer of pilot Paul Clements for social welfare purposes during the period from 15 February 2010 to 30 April 2014.
In a judgment delivered on 23 October 2025, Mr Justice Conleth Bradley settled the form of the final orders and costs arising from an earlier ruling in Ryanair’s favour.
The underlying dispute concerned a Social Welfare Appeals Officer’s 2021 finding that Mr Clements was an employee of Ryanair and was insurable as a Class A contributor. In the principal High Court judgment delivered in November 2024, the judge held that the Appeals Officer had made errors of law, including finding an implied contract between Ryanair and Mr Clements without sufficient evidence and treating Brookfield as Ryanair’s agent.
The October 2025 judgment formally set aside that 2021 decision. It declared that Ryanair was not Mr Clements’ employer for social welfare purposes during the relevant period.
The court instead restored an earlier Appeals Officer decision from May 2016 which found that Mr Clements was in insurable employment with Redsberry Management Services Limited and was insurable as a Class A contributor.
Ryanair had sought its legal costs on the basis that it had succeeded overall. The State respondents argued that the statutory appeal procedure normally carried no costs and that Ryanair had not succeeded on every preliminary issue.
Mr Justice Bradley agreed that Ryanair had not been entirely successful on all aspects of the case and also emphasised the special costs regime applicable to statutory social welfare appeals. He therefore made no order as to costs.
The court declined to remit the matter for a fresh hearing before another Appeals Officer. Instead, it substituted the final orders flowing from its legal conclusions.
The substantive orders were stayed in the event of an appeal to the Court of Appeal, subject to any contrary order by that court.