Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Chairman and committee members for the invitation to discuss the employment of content moderators and the reactivation of the economy in the context of Covid-19. As the two issues are quite different, I will speak initially about content moderators and then move on to economic issues more generally.

Although it is a new form of work, we can all agree that content moderation plays a vital role in our use of the Internet and in turn in our everyday lives. It is hard to imagine what the Internet would be like without them. Content moderators carry out really important work to protect all of us and we need to ensure they are protected properly in their work. They prevent the wider distribution of explicit and harmful content and I acknowledge there are specific stressors inherent in the type of work they carry out. I believe it requires appropriate training, competence, ongoing debriefing and supervision within a well-established, safe and healthy system of work.

In late January, following a request from Deputy O'Reilly, I met a group of content moderators and their representatives to hear from them at first hand. Following the meeting, I wrote to Facebook setting out the concerns raised at the meeting and the company provided a detailed response to my letter. I believe this has been shared with the committee recently. There is a strong legislative regime in Ireland to protect all workers regardless of where they work or the type of work they do in terms of their working conditions, including health and safety. Employers, no matter what sector they are in, have a duty of care towards employees to ensure that a safe working environment is created. This includes the management of workplace stressors or psychosocial hazards. As I said, appropriate training must be provided and employers must carry out a risk assessment with a particular focus on potential hazards relating to content moderation work. Proper risk assessment, along with mitigation measures, is the foundation of all workplace health and safety. Promoting positive mental health within the workplace is good for the employees and is also a factor in improving overall business performance and productivity.

For this reason, I urge employees to engage in the first instance with their employer to see how their concerns can be resolved at workplace level. However, any content moderator concerned for his or her health and safety can contact the Health and Safety Authority, HSA, in confidence and can also contact the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, about broader working conditions. Where necessary, the resolution mechanisms available from the relevant State agencies can be utilised by both employers and employees. I am aware that the HSA is addressing matters already raised with it. As members will appreciate, the HSA is independent in the carrying out of its regulatory function and keeps much of that information confidential. This includes keeping it from me.

Moving on to the second topic, which is the reactivation of the economy, I am very hopeful that we can return to something close to normality by late summer. It has been an extremely long road for everyone - citizens, workers, businesses, friends and family - but I think our patience and resilience have been worth it. The vaccination programme is picking up momentum administering approximately 270,000 vaccines per week. Nearly 40% of our adult population has had at least one dose now and we hope to have the vast majority of our adult population vaccinated at least once by the end of June and fully vaccinated by end of September. Members will be aware that the portal is now open to people in their late 40s to register.

Within the next two weeks, we expect to be in a position to publish a national economic recovery plan - most likely at the end of May or even 1 June. The plan will provide certainty for businesses and workers by outlining targeted support for sectors which will continue to be most adversely affected by the pandemic. It will outline the next steps for the emergency pandemic interventions, including what we will do with the pandemic unemployment payment, PUP, and the employment wage subsidy scheme, EWSS, reaffirming the Government’s commitment to avoid a cliff edge. At the same time, we all understand that for financial reasons, there cannot be a long tail either. I think members will agree that the three main schemes – the Covid restrictions support scheme, CRSS; EWSS; and PUP - compare favourably with what is on offer in other countries. Members may be aware that my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Troy, published our proposals for a new small company administrative rescue process, SCARP, last week. This is a cheaper quicker alternative to examinership and with the help of the committee, we hope to have the Bill enacted before the summer recess. This could save a lot of businesses in the autumn that are viable but need to restructure to survive.

The national economic recovery plan will help to drive a jobs-rich recovery, help people return to work and assist sectors that have been and will continue to be disproportionately affected by the pandemic. I am thinking of tourism and hospitality, the aviation sector, arts and entertainment. The plan will also set out our ambition not just to return to pre-pandemic Ireland but to build a better "normal" - a more inclusive society that is equipped to meet head on the twin challenges of digital and green. Last Friday, I published updated guidance on ventilation and antigen testing to reduce the spread of Covid in the workplace and help people get back to work and businesses to open and stay open.

The updated work safely protocol, which was developed in consultation with unions and employers, is the most up-to-date public health advice for the workplace. It sets out the measures required to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in the workplace, including information on how to approach the use of antigen testing. Our advice is still to continue to work from home where possible but this protocol makes sure every workplace has clear and up-to-date guidance. It gives clear information on how to use antigen testing appropriately in the workplace. It sets out that these tests should be used as an additional health and safety measure and not as a substitute for any other precautions. Employers should also consider how they can improve ventilation in workplaces. Even simple actions like airing rooms or keeping a window open can make a real difference. Although we intend to vaccinate the vast majority of the adult population by the end of June, the reality is some people cannot or will not take one. Vaccination is and will remain voluntary so it is important that employers have guidance on how to manage any unvaccinated workers, particularly in customer-facing roles.

The document gives some information on that but I accept that it will need to be added to in its next iteration.

I look forward to members' comments and am happy to answer any questions they may have.