Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State is welcome. I want to emphasise a couple of the previous points. Clearly, we want this SEO to be passed quickly in order that it will be in place for the works concerned. I have to declare a personal interest; I have a son who is entering his third year of an apprenticeship. My concern, which Deputy O'Reilly put well, is that if it is left to an individual to make a complaint about non-compliance with an SEO, the reality, as I know from my work on the ground as a trade union official, is that the person will be fired. That is what happens. I would respectfully suggest that the Government has to come up with a way and means of enforcing the SEO that does not fall on individual workers, because that is the issue.

The second issue I will make again relates to what Deputy O'Reilly said. Bogus self-employment is widespread. It was highlighted by a number of people in their submissions, including Joseph King of Connect Trade Union. It is clear there is not sufficient enforcement. There are sites in Limerick where subbies basically say that if someone wants a job, they can come in self-employed or else they are not coming in. That is happening today. I have spoken to people who have faced that. It is really widespread. My question is about enforcement, and a related question is where we are with the number of workplace inspection employees at the moment and what the target is.