Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I know we are up against the clock. We will not conclude discussion of these amendments this evening. The Committee on Budgetary Oversight has spent an enormous amount of time discussing and debating these really important issues. It goes back to the basic principle of no cash without conditions, something we are very bad at implementing and enforcing in this country. I absolutely agree that we need a vibrant, dynamic film production sector in the State. I am proud of the role played by members of my party in the past in turning the sector into what we might describe as an industry. The industry has great potential to grow. However, there is no industry without workers, cast and crew, skilled crew and technicians. We will not have that without security and certainty of employment and decent terms and conditions. We can have all the training programmes we want but if people cannot manage to make a living operating in the industry here in Ireland, then we have a problem. I support the idea that we increase the cap, which the Minister announced in the budget and which has been provided for in this legislation. However, we cannot do that on the backs of those who make sure we have an industry in this country, and on whom we rely to make the industry work.

Deputy Boyd Barrett referred to the issues around the requirement to sign away one's intellectual property and rights. That is effectively an obligation for many working in the industry in this country in terms of performers. People from Great Britain and Northern Ireland are working on productions here alongside workers doing the equivalent job on Republic of Ireland contracts and arrangements, and those from the Republic are treated less favourably than those who are operating on Great Britain and Northern Ireland contracts. This is in an industry that relies heavily on State subsidies and on a very significant transfer from the taxpayer to an industry.

We want to see the industry thrive and flourish but it will not thrive and flourish if we continue to stand over a situation where this kind of practice is allowed to continue. The State has huge leverage here if it decides to use it. Even if we just look at it through the prism of the financial circumstances and our economy, we would be penny wise and pound foolish to do anything other than attach the kinds of conditions that are outlined in the Labour Party amendment, the amendment from Deputy Boyd Barrett and his colleagues or indeed the Sinn Féin amendment. There is a degree of consensus around this that developed throughout the budgetary oversight committee process. I urge the Minister to accept the amendments. If there are technical issues with the amendments themselves, we can work on those and we can develop the situation and we may see it evolve between now and Report Stage. This is very important indeed. I hope the Minister will work with us to take this to a different place.