Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I will be brief as we are running late. I commend Deputies Ó Murchú and Boyd Barrett on their defence of and concern for workers' rights. This is something I was involved in for many years. I will always defend the rights of workers to better working conditions. We have had considerable and significant improvements in the workplace, at least since I started working, in terms of safety, health and welfare at work.

I listened to Deputy Boyd Barrett last year and the year before raising issues in regard to the film industry. Coming from Wicklow, where we have two world-renowned studios in Ardmore and Ashford, with another large media centre on the way, I know many people working in the film industry, and have known them for many years, across production, design, set construction, content production, power and the vast spectrum of the industry. From speaking to those people over the years, it is clear the conditions can at times be difficult. That is the nature of a lot of the work. It can be outdoor work, on-set work and sometimes in the studio. The hours can be long and unsociable, with weekend and night work, depending on the requirement of the shoot. However, these people are incredibly well paid. That is what comes across to me clearly. Their conditions and the relationship they have with their employers have never been raised with me as an issue.

The pipeline of work is very strong. In fact, one of the complaints I get is there is too much work out there, which is a good complaint for somebody to have. It is important to set this out because the Irish film industry is renowned around the world both for its content and the product. It is important to set out that balance. As in every industry, difficulties can be experienced by employers and employees. I want to put on the record that it is my experience over a long period, and I have known many people working in the industry, that the talk is of good, long-term jobs with good prospects, a long pipeline of well-paid work, and conditions that have improved significantly over the years. I just wanted to state that.