Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)

Does the Minister agree that the current system is designed to disempower migrant workers and facilitate their exploitation by employers or at least has that effect? Does the Minister also agree that a migrant worker, a person in a foreign land who probably has some language difficulties and whose ability to remain here is dependent on the employer who holds his or her work permit, is much more likely to tolerate exploitation or abuse than would an indigenous worker? Does the Minister accept that this is part of the problem and that resolving the issue of who holds the work permit is part of the solution? Does he further accept that if the employee were to hold the permit, it would reduce the almost total dependence on the employer in the first place? Recent revelations that have emerged about Gama Construction, Irish Ferries and a whole host of other employers demonstrate the level of difficulty that exists in this area, and how workers are being exploited.

See this speech in context