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

I genuinely appreciate the engagement by the Minister on this matter, but more needs to be done. I will come back to this on Report Stage. I ask the Minister and his officials to further consider what I have said.

It is unfair that the people who brought this matter to my attention and to the attention of the Oireachtas have, in effect, been blacklisted. While one union may be happy and, indeed, may have benefited from the actions of others in bringing certain issues forward and putting pressure on in terms of those issues, it would be a cruel and unfair irony if the whistleblowers end up being the victims even though they are ones who helped to move the goalposts and to which the Minister has responded. I think that injustice must be addressed but questions remain beyond that particular group. I have recently talked to actors. The dancers who worked on a film called "Disenchanted" made the point that their employment conditions here were much less favourable than similar film situations in the UK. There remains a problem in that people who raise questions are vulnerable. Certain people can make agreements but other people should have the right to question those agreements, at least. They should not be punished and penalised if they question things that others say are fine with nothing to see. We must protect people, give them the right to question things and ensure they are not victimised if they ask questions.