Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

This is complicated and it takes a while to get your head around it. The CEO of Screen Producers Ireland, who struck the agreement referred to by the Minister, gave evidence to the WRC in a case taken by a film crew worker that there was no possible basis, having due regard to the realities of the sector, on which a relationship of employment could be said to have existed between the parties involved. This was on the basis of what she said were the clearly established industry norms and practices governing working arrangements in the sector, including the operation of section 481 relief. Does the Minister understand what she is saying? She is saying there cannot be a relationship between the film producer company and the worker who works on the film because of the structure of section 481. That is what she said, and the Government is giving these people money. She said that her members cannot have employees because of the way the industry is structured. That is her saying it, yet at the same time, the Government continues to give them the money for quality employment and training purposes, and it takes them seriously when they say they are striking a balance between employers and employees while they say they cannot have employees. Does the Minister not understand what is being said to him?

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