The French finance minister recently convened a meeting of several large food companies to discuss the price of food items and he managed to secure a pledge from firms like Unilever to cut prices. It is astonishing that it has not been done here. I think it should be done. The Minister will talk about the agrifood regulator and I have said its establishment is very welcome. However, the CCPC report highlighted that Unilever and Kerry Group reported pre-tax profit margins of 16.3% and 11.9%, respectively, in 2021. L…

What are the Minister's views on the redress available to workers who have been unfairly dismissed according to the Unfair Dismissals Act 1977? To be fair, the Act is nearly as old as us, although I do not include the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, in that, and it is definitely due a re-examination.

I said "as us". I was including myself.

My problem with the redress available under the Unfair Dismissals Acts is that some employers, especially large ones, can dismiss workers if they see them as troublesome, awkward, annoying or whatever, and they can take a chance because they know the likelihood is that, at a time of full employment, the employee will be re-employed and all the employer will be on the hook for is four weeks' pay. It does not operate in the interests of workers. The employment market at a given time is what determines what happens. I…

That is welcome. If the Minister is looking for case studies, he could look at the case of the Murphy 4, who were dismissed from Murphy International Limited in Limerick in circumstances they say arose from their trade union activities. It is my opinion that if the redress under the Unfair Dismissals Act had been more appropriate, that could have acted as a deterrent in this instance and perhaps these workers would be still employed. They face a lengthy wait. The Minister and the Government talk a lot about the ind…

We had a very good session on AI at the Joint Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment last week. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan raised the issue of jobs being displaced. I would have a particular concern about jobs being displaced by AI. Effectively, we are talking here about a platform worker who has not necessarily been sacked but who, because of the way the algorithm works, does not get any shifts the following week. If you are not working, it is the same as being sacked. There would be no involvement of any indiv…

When will the scheme for businesses impacted by kerosene price increases go live, and does the Minister plan to expand the scheme to businesses impacted by liquid petroleum gas and liquefied natural gas price increases?

I welcome the simplification. The Minister will be aware Sinn Féin has raised this issue on a number of occasions. My colleagues, Deputies Conway-Walsh, Kerrane and Mairéad Farrell and others, and I have been raising this matter, so we are pleased the Government was listening and is going to act on it. I encourage the Minister to engage with those businesses that use liquefied petroleum gas and liquefied natural gas and discuss the challenges they are facing. I understand the numbers may not stack up in terms of th…

Yesterday, I was with the Iceland workers in Talbot Street. They turned up for work on Monday morning only to be told that they had been sacked and that the shop is closing. They are owed wages and holiday pay and have no idea when they are going to get either. The examinership process is under way, but it is not acceptable that they have been left in limbo while workers in other stores do not know if they will have a job this time next week. Some of the shops have closed and some are still operating. In some cases…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this important report. Its results, like those of previous EPA reports were, unfortunately, greeted with a sigh of resignation across north County Dublin. It is nothing we have not seen before. For many years, people have been raising their voices to highlight the dire quality of bathing water in Balbriggan. The State and Fingal County Council have turned a blind eye to the deterioration of water quality. In 2017, water quality in Balbriggan was declared to be vulnerable but, r…

I welcome the opportunity to say a few words. I want to start by speaking to the importance of apprenticeships to the State and the economy. It is really hard to overstate the benefits of our craft-based apprenticeship system. This applies at a macro level in terms of the quality of craft worker our apprenticeship system produces. I will hone in on issues affecting the system in due course. Our craft apprentices and workers are the envy of many other countries. These workers are trained to such an elite level they …

Since the company Iceland was taken over by new management in February, there have been significant and sustained allegations of poor management, lack of communication and, in some instances, intimidation of workers. Some stores are now closed. Workers in other stores want to know if the Minister of State knows whether they will be in work tomorrow, next week or the week after that. We need to support these workers. The Minister of State needs to do all he can to protect these jobs. In February, it was reported tha…

I have written to the Corporate Enforcement Authority to ask that it investigate if there are any potential breaches of company law in this case. Serious questions are arising as to what fitness and probity checks were carried out in respect of the directors. Who is really behind some of these companies? There are names, there are new companies, there is another company, there is Metron, and there is this guy Maniar. Then there are the pseudonyms and the other names people are using. It all comes back to the same c…

Excuse me, before we move on, will the Leas-Cheann Comhairle please remind Members to turn off their mobile phones in the Chamber? It is disrespectful-----

-----and disruptive.

I am conscious that the time is a little off. I might be taking someone else's time. With the indulgence of the Chair, we will be able to fit people in. I thank the Chair for the opportunity to make a contribution. During this month, as we celebrate Pride, it is important to reflect on the successes as well as focus on the future of LGBTQI+ equality. Unfortunately, in recent years the position of the LGBTQI+ community has regressed in this State. As much as we made incredible progress, there were leaps and perhaps …

I commend Deputies Mairéad Farrell and Clarke on this motion. We are all aware of the link between poverty and low educational attainment. It is the job of the Government to even out that playing field. Barriers like the high cost of schoolbooks and the cost of uniforms cause hardship and affect a student's ability to learn and a teacher's ability to teach. St. Catherine's National School, Rush, does not have DEIS status. The only secondary school in the town has DEIS status but the two feeder primary schools do no…

I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on this important legislation. From the outset, I will say that Sinn Féin is broadly supportive of this legislation, which will bring about the regulation of e-cigarettes and nicotine vaping. However, it is a pity we are only doing this now. It has been an issue for quite a while. The regulation of vaping has been necessary for some time and this modernisation is very welcome. I am very well aware that e-cigarettes and vaping have helped many people to quit smoking. That i…

Before I start, I want to add my own words of condolence to the family, friends, fans and community of Christy Dignam. He will be sorely missed. We will miss his voice, his humour and we will miss his activism. He will leave a hole in the community that will be very hard to fill. I know his family are grieving. I hope they take some consolation from the massive national outpouring of grief for a man who was effectively a national treasure. I want to associate myself with the previous remarks. I thank an Cathaoirlea…

I thank the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, not just for being here to take this matter but also for liaising with my office when he could not be here on a previous occasion when the issue was discussed. This arises out of a question I raised directly with the Taoiseach during Questions on Promised Legislation in regard to after-school care for children with additional needs. The norm for most families is to avail of childcare to facilitate not just the parents going to work, which it does, but also to facilitate the ch…