Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We did a body of work on this issue last year because an issue with the atypical working scheme for non-EEA workers had been brought to our attention. The Migrant Rights Centre Ireland had come to us. We looked at both sides of the issue and made some recommendations on the issuing of permits. We received correspondence from the Minister today. We have not discussed it yet. We made some recommendations on workers carrying waterproof permits and keeping all of the documentation onshore instead of on a vessel. We also made a recommendation concerning the language barrier when inspections were carried out. It was one of our main recommendations. Sometimes when inspections happen, workers are not able to interact. We did not find a huge incidence, but we did find that it had happened. The language barrier was an issue.

The other thing we found was that it came within the remit of six Departments. It would be better if it came within the remit of one or two, but that is easier said than done. The Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation is dealing with it, as are the Departments of Justice and Equality and Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Many Departments are dealing with it so it is not a simple fix. As a committee, we have looked at many things relating to Brexit, permits and the cost of doing business. We pride ourselves on being a busy committee. When we focus on something, we try to do it in depth rather than just paying lip service.