I agree with Teachta Ó Cuív. I am always conscious when we raise this, and I do not mean this in a disrespectful way to the person who has turned up, that there is a rule. It is disrespectful to expect us to come in when the relevant line Minister does not. That is not directed to the Minister of State. I am very conscious that he is here and I do not mean that in a disrespectful way to him. With the assistance of the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach, perhaps the Ceann Comhairle might be able to resolve this issue. I wish t…

Before I respond, I must acknowledge and thank Deputy Stanton for swapping his slot with me. In his contribution, the Minister of State has said that the Government is strongly committed to providing all citizens with reliable and realistic sustainable mobility options and that public transport plays a key role in the delivery of this goal. I am not being smart, but I would genuinely like the Minister of State to go down and stand at a bus stop in my constituency and say that to people as the buses disappear off th…

I welcome the new Minister and Ministers of State. It seems perhaps that I am the only consistent Member in the enterprise portfolio.

I welcome any Member who is here for the first time. My question is straightforward and it relates to the Mandate Trade Union report, Smoke and Mirrors: The Facts About Retail Workers' Incomes in Ireland. Has the Minister any plans to amend the Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2018 to ensure where extra hours are available longer-term workers seeking additional hours are prioritised?

It is clear that while the code of practice was very well intentioned and is a decent piece of work, it is not working. Mandate is telling us nearly two thirds of retail workers are earning less than €451 per week. That is not even getting within a million miles of anything that would be a living wage. I attended the launch of the report where some of the workers from the shop floor spoke. They say that sometimes hours are used as a mechanism almost to control workers. For example, if you happen to be the shop stew…

There is not a massive amount of difference between the Minister of State and me on this. However, the Mandate survey is for unionised workers. As everybody knows, the best bet you have for getting a decent rate of pay is to join your union and be active in it. These are unionised workers. Again, the WRC very often sees unionised workers. If it is bad for workers who are unionised and who are engaged with their union, we can only imagine what it is like for workers who do not have that collective voice to speak up …

My question relates to sub-minimum rates of pay and workers aged between 16 and 19, excluding those in training and apprenticeships, who are being paid below the minimum wage. Does the Minister intend to legislate to remove sub-minimum rates of pay? Will he enter into a public consultation on the issue and, most important, on the impacts they have on workers? It is unfair to suggest these people work only for pocket money or that they do not make a contribution to the family budget.

Trade unions and member-led organisations representing young people have consistently highlighted the manner in which sub-minimum rates of pay can be used to exploit workers. In my previous question, I referred to people working on the shop floor. They will tell you that if additional hours are available, those hours are more likely to go to the person with the shortest service because that person will be the cheapest person, in contrast to the person with the longest service. That is happening and it is not fair o…

Sinn Féin introduced legislation on this matter in 2018 and 2021. We believe that the practice is exploitative. If what the Minister of State is saying is true and it is not happening, it would not make a blind bit of difference if the Government legislated for it. It is fair to say that it is happening. It is not happening everywhere, there are many good employers, but it is happening, and the anecdotal evidence is there. We can also see that these workers continue to be employed. Sub-minimum rates of pay have bee…

Yesterday, at the Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment, we had a discussion about the barriers faced by persons with disabilities in accessing employment. We heard from the National Disability Authority, NDA, and the Rehab Group, but I was struck in particular by Padraig Hannafin, which is why I wanted to come in on this question. He spoke about his experience as a disabled person trying to access the labour market and about the impact having a full-time job has had on him. There are massive levels of unde…

We did not think we would get to this question this morning. This question, like all my questions, is very straightforward. It asks if preparatory work has been done to incorporate into legislation recommendations on collective bargaining made by the high-level group on collective bargaining and industrial relations. Will the Minister provide a timeline as to when this matter will be legislated for? This relates to the transposition of a directive. I would be interested to hear the Minister's views as to how quickl…

No, we are not.

We are absolutely miles away compared with many other European countries. We need to start making these moves very quickly. I do not necessarily agree with every single one of the recommendations that were made, but we need to start having that discussion here and broadening it out. I respect the fact there must be discussions with the Commission, but I would like to see some domestic focus on this in order that we bring in as many voices as we possibly can. We can see the disparity. There is a value to every worke…

Does the Minister of State have a timeline as to when this matter will be legislated for? I understand there is a timeline dictated by the European Union, but preparatory work also has to be under way. The report is done but the discussions now need to be had as to how that can be transposed into our system, which is primarily a voluntary system. If there is 80% collective bargaining coverage, that gives workers good power to negotiate at the level of their workplace. While it will still be voluntary, they will hav…

Delighted.

Sinn Féin welcomes any change which will ensure clear and effective oversight and accountability of An Garda Síochána. In particular, we welcome the restructuring of GSOC to an office of the police ombudsman. The complaints system has long needed reform, but the proof will be in the implementation of these changes. GSOC is understaffed and does not always enjoy the co-operation of An Garda Síochána as it is currently constituted. An updating and streamlining of the existing system for the handling of allegations of…

Sinn Féin welcomes the changes that have been made to the TBESS by the Government. For several weeks, we have been telling the Government that the TBESS is failing SMEs and microbusinesses, in particular due to the interlinked problems caused by the qualifying threshold being too high and the relief being too low. As a result, SMEs and microbusinesses have struggled to access the scheme. This is evidenced by the fact that as of 17 February, only €38 million in relief had been issued to businesses from a €1.2 billio…

I want to refer to the amendments put forward by an Teachta Doherty, specifically the one concerning home heating oil. It is not, as some might suggest, a rural-only issue and, in fact, it affects many people in my constituency. Many of them will be scratching their heads when they learn that the Government has accepted, the argument having been won by myself and others, that businesses that depend on kerosene should be assisted. I have welcomed that and the Minister was here earlier when I did so. However, they wi…

The Taoiseach thinks there were about that number built.

I send my sympathies to the family and friends of Brianna Ghey and solidarity to her trans siblings at this time. Last week, the Taoiseach not only disputed research produced on behalf of Barnardos which found that one in ten parents has used a food bank in the past year, he sought to undermine the data. As has been clarified, his criticisms of the data were totally, wholly, completely and utterly inaccurate. The Barnardos survey also found that one quarter of parents have had to cut down on paying household bills,…