Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

There are two reasons. First, if the Minister of State listened to what trade unions have said, he would know they have consistently said there are not enough inspectors. Second, as someone who worked as a trade union official for many years, I can tell him, hand on heart, that what happens every day when workers try to stand up for their rights, unless they have a union behind them, and in many cases workers do not - the Minister of State will be aware that we do not have collective bargaining legislation in this State - they are fired and they are threatened with being fired every day. If the Minister of State does not realise that or know what is happening on construction sites across the country, I am even more concerned.