This debate is happening in the context of a punitive intervention by the European Commission, which has declared no confidence in the authorities of this State in the prevention of over-quota fishing. Over the years, the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority has not fulfilled its responsibility in carrying out a credible number of inspections and properly pursuing cases of over-quota fishing. As a result, the EU has imposed a collective punishment on all vessel owners who now have to have their catches de-iced and we…

I want to say a few words about Cork Airport. This is an airport that is set to be closed for a period of ten weeks from 12 September to 22 November, as repairs are being made to the main runway. Workers are facing a very difficult situation. These are workers in Aer Lingus, Swissport, OCS and in other airport workplaces. For example, Aer Lingus plans to temporarily lay off 200 workers, who will be forced to go on the dole and will not be paid by the company for that time or kept on the books. They have been kept o…

The climate Bill debate should not be guillotined. Amendments should not be ruled out in the way they have been. I say that despite the fact many of the amendments are from right-wing opponents of climate progress. More time should be allowed for a debate on this key issue. Time should also be provided for brief statements alongside the moving of the writ for the Dublin Bay South by-election. Important issues are at stake. It is the first opportunity since the general election for part of the electorate to have its…

Is the Taoiseach not even a little embarrassed by the proposals published on the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment website last Wednesday regarding the rights of workers in liquidation situations? On the issue of honouring collective redundancy agreements in liquidation situations, the Government says "No". On the issue of prioritising workers for payment in liquidation situations, the Government says "No". On the issue of making employers pay a serious penalty if they refuse to comply with soon-to-be-…

The protest that took place outside the convention centre today was the largest protest seen anywhere in the State since the onset of the pandemic. I stood with the people of Donegal and the north west and I listened to their stories. I listened to the speeches. The loudest cheer was for a speaker who congratulated people for their organisation, discipline and politeness but made the point that if they were forced to return, they might not be so polite the next time. That got the loudest cheer of the day. It is sig…

I ask the Minister if he will report on discussions he has had with the European Commission with respect to its latest country-specific recommendations under the European semester process; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

In previous years, the European semester has laid significant emphasis on labour activation measures. I imagine that when we get around to it again, if anything, that will be more so the case given the high levels of youth unemployment, so I want to focus on this for a moment. The recent history in this State regarding training schemes has not been great. I need only mention the infamous JobBridge scheme. Participants in JobBridge at the time received €188 per week plus a €50 top-up, which was cheap labour. Are we …

The Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Humphreys, has said the new round of training schemes will pay more than the JobBridge scheme with its €50 top-up did in the past. I have argued that a €60, €70 or €80 top-up will not cut it and that there needs to be decent pay for trainees. Will the Minister be more specific than the Minister for Social Protection and give us a broad outline of what the pay rates will be? He mentioned that any plans will be solely focused on jobs. What guarantees can be given that this w…

Does the Tánaiste envisage introducing a mandatory sick pay scheme before the end of the Covid-19 pandemic? I ask him to make a statement on the matter.

I looked at some of those 118 submissions to the public consultation in November and December. There seemed to be a high level of resistance from employers to the concept of any kind of real fund. I will give an example of some of the correspondence submitted. One employer stated that the rate of pay should be the current illness benefit and then topped up by the employer if they so wish. Another wrote that there should be an earnings threshold as employers will not want to pay sick leave for part-time, seasonal an…

The Tánaiste is quite correct in saying that it is not the Soviet Union and it is a democracy. For workers, it feels like a dictatorship in the workplace. He can ask the childcare workers, 84% of whom do not have do not have an employer who pays in any sick pay, or the meat plant workers, 90% of whom, according to Migrant Rights Centre Ireland, do not have an employer who pays in any sick pay. We do not even know what the position is in the nursing homes. Some 80% are privately owned and are under no obligation by …

What actions are being taken by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment to protect workers' health and safety in view of the reopening of the hospitality sector?

I was coming into this place this morning and listening to the radio news. The invitation was being put out for 43-year-olds to contact the HSE about arranging vaccination. The next item was about hospitality. It struck me that a majority - probably a vast majority - of people going back to work in hospitality are under the age of 43 and will go back to work unvaccinated. This is at a time the virus is in the community, there is a new variant, which is significantly more infectious, and they are operating on the ba…

The majority of hospitality workers will be vaccinated later in the year, hopefully later in the summer. However, hospitality is opening now, when the vast majority of those workers have not been vaccinated. That puts a strong onus on ensuring that quality health and safety provisions are in place. How many of the labour inspectors – we were told earlier on that 53 out of a target of 90 are in place – are detailed to monitoring the hospitality industry over the coming weeks. Fáilte Ireland put down the guidelines. …

The leaving certificate exams begin next Wednesday. This is the most stressful set of exams done by second level students, by young adults, anywhere in Europe. I challenge any Deputy in the House to dispute that assertion. It is all the more difficult when young people have been forced to prepare for those exams, and now sit them, during a global pandemic. I am certain there are hundreds of students who are only going to be able to get through the stress of these exams thanks to medication and I would not be at all…

I took a walk around Gurranabraher the Saturday before last and took the opportunity to give out some leaflets. When I was walking down the road, three young fellas were standing around a car. One of them said, "Good morning, Deputy". I kicked myself for not having given him a leaflet. I should of course have done that. I gave a leaflet to him and to his friends as well. One of them then told me that I had picked the right issue in housing. I asked them if they were affected personally. They laughed. They were all …

Last Tuesday, 25 May, under questioning from me on Leaders' Questions, the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Eamon Ryan, stated the new national maternity hospital "will be operated by two separate voluntary hospitals". He did not mention the identities of the two separate voluntary hospitals and I can only presume they comprise the boards of the current National Maternity Hospital and the St. Vincent's Healthcare Group. I am sure the Minister does not need reminding that the St. Vinc…

The Chinese regime wants to erase the memory of the Tiananmen Square massacre. Hong Kong has been the only Chinese city where public commemoration events have been held and not banned; for example, 180,000 people attended the event in 2019. This year, the event has been banned by the Hong Kong authorities, acting on behalf of the Chinese regime. Those who dare to attend face five years in jail and those who publicise the event face a year. Last week, when I asked a similar question, the Taoiseach said that concerns…

I will deal with two issues: training and what is happening at Aer Lingus. On training, the plan refers to 50,000 places in education and training, with a focus on digital and green jobs. It refers to 10,000 placements in workplaces through a job experience programme. Many people who will be pushed towards training could be provided with jobs and we need jobs based on direct State-led investment. We have been here before regarding training. In the last crisis, we had the JobBridge scheme, which was synonymous with …

Some employers are using the pandemic to launch a one-sided class war against their workforces. One such employer is Aer Lingus. It has given its workers a deadline of today to respond to proposals, which include a five-year pay freeze, pay cuts, lower starting rates for new staff, cuts to duty allowances, cuts to sick pay arrangements and more. For those who are interested in knowing what more is involved, I have posted the details on my Twitter account. These proposals are shocking. They are unacceptable and they…