Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I know from talking to workers in the hospitality sector that there are some good restaurants, some not-so-good restaurants and some very bad restaurants. I have spoken to staff members who said that tips and service charges went to them. The situation is different in the Ivy and other restaurants around town, which apply a service charge on every single table. That is a cynical move by restaurants to avoid giving their staff tips so they can take that money and do what they want with it. At the same time, these restaurants refuse to pay the workers more than the minimum wage. This is an industry where workers are mainly on minimum wage. Should we consider making service charges illegal throughout the industry?