Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE) | Oireachtas source

Finally, I do not know if this is something that was considered in doing the general scheme, but one of the previous recommendations of this committee was to resource the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, properly to ensure there is compliance with work permit obligations. That was related to the atypical working scheme and the huge exploitation of migrant workers in the fishing industry in Ireland. UN rapporteurs wrote about it. I have spoken to a former employee of the National Employment Rights Authority, NERA, the forerunner of the WRC, Mr. George McLoughlin, who spoke about seeking permission to investigate these issues and to go on the vessel and not being given permission, and then the employers effectively being tipped off by them being contacted. There is a wider issue there in respect of a lack of resourcing of inspections and so forth. We see it with regard to Covid. Is this something that had to be taken into account in drafting the general scheme?