Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The issues that have been brought forward obviously relate to Equity. There is agreement across the board that there is a need for a better agreement that would protect the intellectual property and long-term payments for actors. That would obviously allow for a greater level of sustainability. It is about bringing that about. Numerous people have come to us and spoken about the issue with regard to ratios and blackballing. I accept that might not happen on every production but I hear that it happens on a considerable number of them. That causes worry with regard to the future sustainability of the industry. It needs to be addressed. We need some sort of framework to allow these matters to be dealt with.

We talk about the Department of Finance being the paymasters I accept that the Department cannot police all of this. However, we need to find the means by which it can look in to it and be part of the responsibility with regard to ensuring we have a better framework. We will obviously need collective agreements and whatever else but it is not a case of somebody making a determination that somebody else is a nuisance because he or she may have wished to have their rights to be sorted out and decides not to phone that person again. We cannot have that.

It is very difficult because we do not have the numbers or the exact figures. That is probably something else that needs to be addressed. I am putting that responsibility on the witnesses and ask that they report back within a week-----