Ms Deirdre Donaghy:

I do not assume that anybody else wants to live a lifestyle like mine. If we all wanted to same things life would be very boring. It certainly is not the case. If you have someone who has intermittent employment like that and has no certainty they will get another job, it is very precarious. It would not be a good place. In that instance what it comes down to is whether a person has a certainty of his or her next employment or that there will be a pipeline of jobs coming through. What we hear at the moment is that there is more demand than there is supply of labour in the sector and that people with skills are in high demand.

Regarding the representative groups, we make a point of engaging with them and with Screen Guilds of Ireland, which the Deputy referred to, which came in also and spoke. I know the Deputy said they claim to represent 2,500 but I do not doubt them in that. Where there is 3,265 full-time equivalents in the sector we have explained how that is calculated. That does not mean 3,265 people but that is, particularly when extras are put in, potentially 15,000 or 20,000 people who are working for some element of the year. It is not in any way surprising that there are 2,500 individuals who work as crew in the film industry and who would be represented, and it is their choice to be represented by Screen Guilds of Ireland. I assume there is overlap with those represented by SIPTU. They have every right to be represented by them so I do not see any lack of reasonableness in those numbers. They have a right to be heard, to put forward their opinions and to express how they want their career to go forward.

As to whether people are the employers, I know we have talked about this extensively and Deputy Boyd Barrett has mentioned there is potential in employment law for the Workplace Relations Commission, for example, to look through connected companies. There are extensive protections out there for employees and I think the right place to bring disputes is to the employment relations arms of the State. We can support that through the film credit. It is supported through the undertaking but it is key to say that the undertaking is about getting producers to undertake something they are already obliged to do. Employment rights cannot be signed away. They are already enshrined in law and exist. I am not sure whether I missed anything there.