Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

As the nation is aware, approximately one quarter of Ireland's freight capacity is out of action coming into the very busy Christmas period. The action of Irish Ferries management suggests that it is determined either to drive its Irish staff onto the dole queue or into slave labour conditions. That action and the subsequent action by shocked workers is resulting and will result in serious disruption for importers, exporters, the farming community, tourists and consumers. If this dispute is not resolved quickly, manufacturers will soon run out of imported components and exporters will not be able to meet their customer's demands. It will only be a matter of time before jobs are lost and the most serious consequences impact on our economy.

Given the potential for a crisis, there is an onus on the Government to act effectively. Does the Minister for Finance, who is standing in for the Taoiseach today, agree that the Taoiseach made a tactical mistake last week in saying nothing more could be done by the Government? This resulted in Irish Ferries going ahead with its plan and gave it the green light to proceed as it saw fit.

Does the Minister believe that the fact one works on a ship means one should be valued any less than if one works in a factory? Does he agree with the Fine Gael spokesman on marine affairs, Deputy Perry, who called on the Government to persuade our European partners to outlaw the practice of re-flagging? Has the Government contacted our European counterparts in this regard? What are the lessons for social partnership, which was designed to avoid exactly this type of problem, and which the Government has repeatedly trumpeted as being a pre-emptive solution to industrial relations disasters such as that now unfolding at Irish Ferries?

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