John Perry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)

That is not good enough. If the scheme was still in place, Irish Ferries would not have justification for the action it is now taking. That is the simple truth. This Government has acted recklessly with the jobs of 543 Irish Ferries workers. Responsibility must be taken for this. The PRSI rebate that should have been renewed would have made a difference. PRSI is a huge cost and this involved a discount of 20% in employer costs. I do not condone the action taken by Irish Ferries but a large degree of blame for these job losses rests with this Government and its inaction.

The concerns of Irish seafarers were simply ignored in recent years. Irish Ferries' announcement of this outrageous decision of all but compulsory redundancy shows the level of priority this Government gives to maritime issues. I respect the Minister of State's work as Minister of State with responsibility for the marine but there is no Cabinet Minister with direct responsibility for maritime affairs for our island nation. That has had an impact not only on this issue but on several others. Our island status cannot be ignored. However, the Government stance of appointing a Minister of State to deal with this important portfolio shows the lack of concern it has for many of the most basic needs of this country. It cannot be sufficiently emphasised that respect must be given to maritime affairs.

One of Irish Ferries' chief competitors is Brittany Ferries, which is highly subsidised by the French Government. Irish Ferries is not a State owned company and has not been since 1992. However, we must examine what measures could be introduced to stop a major employer implementing a severance package. As an island nation this is a national question and we need to deal with it as such. There is a report sitting on the Minister for Finance, Deputy Cowen's, desk which must be examined with great urgency. I am astonished it has not been dealt with before now. There have been many debates about this. It is simply a matter of seeking a derogation in Europe with regard to PRSI but that was not done. What is the status of this report? It is imperative that the Department of Finance acts fast and considers it.

The announcement that a public consultation process on the re-flagging of ships is being set up is also a welcome development. Again, however, the Government seems to have staggered blindly for a considerable period and is only now realising that action must be taken. The decision to re-flag the MV Normandy was taken by Irish Ferries at the start of this year. The decision was known to have been on the cards for a considerable time. The Department officially sought public opinion on the issue on 17 August last. Where is the forward thinking and logic in this?

The aim of the consultation process is to open discussion on improvements to the current ship registration system. It also intends to develop a new and integrated policy on the registration of vessels for the future. This is a good step but it is more than a year too late. A problem on the Normandy route was first identified in 2004 but the current consultation period continues to the end of December this year. Why is the Government so devastatingly unable to take decisions when they are needed?

The demands in this motion must be examined. The Government must urgently introduce legislation to outlaw ship owners and operators who use flags of convenience to ignore workers' rights. We have not brought this country so far in terms of employment legislation only to allow companies to exploit foreign workers within our waters. Workers on ferries flying under flags of convenience are paid less than half our minimum wage. That is not good enough. The vast majority of Irish employers treat their staff fairly and this is only proper and should be the least one should expect. However, allowing foreign workers to work on our waters for low wages is the shame of this Government. This has now been happening for nine months. The MV Normandy re-flagged itself to operate under the flag of the Bahamas eight months before this consultation process was announced. What action did the Government take in the interim? It was highly hypocritical of the Government to denounce in the House the decision of Irish Ferries and then pay a grant worth millions of euro to the same company when 150 workers on the MV Normandy were made redundant.

There is a great deal of talk from the Government but it must understand that Irish people are sick and tired of hearing all this talk but seeing no action. The growing tendency to exploit workers in a variety of employment areas must be stopped. Irish people were often exploited when they went abroad to find work when the economy was not performing as well as now and it is horrendous to see the same exploitation being repeated. Foreign workers in Ireland should be openly encouraged to join trade unions. There are reports of employers who discourage and do not allow union membership and such people should feel the full force of the law.

The Government has failed the seafarers of this country. Its inaction in the past year and a half has allowed Irish Ferries to make this outrageous announcement. It is difficult to understand the reasons for the failure of the Government's incentives to encourage job retention.

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