Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I also see the merit in this amendment. We are well past the point where we would have indentured workers who are in some way tied to an employer. I know employers have to demonstrate they have looked for recruits elsewhere and they have to place some ads. The 12-month period is reasonable in that the employer at least gets some continuity for the period and the effort that was put in, but this is trying to strike a reasonable balance and it makes sure people who are being exploited have the opportunity to move on and are not trapped in the way the committee, when we discussed this with witnesses, felt was a genuine problem. There is a lot of merit in this approach and I am interested to hear the Minister of State's response.