Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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As regards non-disclosure agreements, I am strongly of the view that anyone who signs a non-disclosure agreement should be allowed to keep a copy of the agreement. I cannot imagine why anyone would be expected to sign any sort of agreement yet not have it. How do you know you are actually adhering to the agreement yourself if you only get to read the thing once? If they are not giving a copy of it, that is outrageous. Any person of course should have a copy of any agreement that he or she ever signs.

It is important to say that non-disclosure agreements cannot be used to prevent content moderators from raising issues of concern about their working conditions or their health and safety concerns. Non-disclosure agreements tend to be about confidentiality and not breaching confidentiality. They cannot be used to stop people from raising legitimate concerns about their legal rights and entitlements or health and safety conditions. Again, without knowing what is in these agreements it is hard to comment on them in any detail.

As for the issue the Senator has raised around health and safety regulation, I will give it some thought. That is the first time it was raised with me as a possibility that we could reform our health and safety laws in that regard. We always have to be willing to update our laws as the world of work is changing all the time. That is something to which I will give some thought and on which I will consult the HSA.