Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Our legislation is geared to low-paid workers who are working. I accept what the Chairman says about students, who do not have continuous work. That is a reflection of the type of work they are doing. Based on the submissions received and the consultations we had with IBEC and ICTU, there was broad agreement from all sides that 18 months was an acceptable period to assess the reality of the hours people have worked. It is up to students themselves to be placed on a band of hours. Some students like flexibility and some students may go to America. While it is no reflection of the students themselves, it is difficult to assess where they are because they move from job to job. Our legislation is geared to the low-paid workers, the most vulnerable people in our society. To be fair to Sinn Féin, that is what it has tried to do in its Bill. The sentiment of the Bill is to try to look after low-paid workers, but that has not happened in that Bill because it is flawed. We have looked at the Sinn Féin Bill and the UL study.

I apologise that it has taken so long, but we must get the legislation right. Employment legislation, in particular, takes time and cannot just be changed immediately. The consultation with ICTU and IBEC took place between September and March. We believed we needed to get that legislation right and needed to get the main players onside. This is the agreement we came up with. I understand the Chairman's point on students, but this Bill is geared towards people who are in continuous work, the low-paid workers whom we want to protect.