Seán Ardagh (Dublin South Central, Fianna Fail)

Throughout Ireland there is much discussion of work permits and labour migration. By limiting the numbers of available workers we would be putting barriers to enterprise creation in Ireland in the future. To do so would put our economy into slowdown mode, moving irreversibly into inflation, higher wages, higher costs, lack of competitiveness, recession, loss of jobs and emigration. It would mean a cut-back in all the advances that we have made in health, education and social welfare.

It is because the number of people in paying jobs in Ireland has increased from 1 million to 2 million that this country has prospered over the past ten years. To continue that growth in the economy we will need 50,000 to 60,000 new workers each year, and that is accepted by every sane person in this country. With this economy being close to full employment, those workers can only come from abroad.

We who agree that immigration is essential to future prosperity and a good thing in itself need to convince our voters that it is not a threat. The Labour Party has obviously done some polling on issues that might affect voting patterns. According to the latest The Irish Times TNS MRBI poll, and I particularly want to compliment Mark Brannock, the chief political correspondent for his excellent commentary, most voters see the presence of foreign workers here as good for the Irish economy and Irish society. At the same time the majority believe there are already enough or too many foreign workers here. Those two views do not hold together, so to speak.

Deputy Rabbitte has decided for purely party political gain to react to voter perceptions no matter how much they could affect the economy and be bad for the country. I agree that it is not unrealistic to believe that if tens of thousands of skilled workers used to working in their home countries for far less than the Irish rates come here to work that increased supply has the potential to push down wages but it has not worked out that way. Deputy Rabbitte has been scaremongering on this issue. There is no empirical evidence to show that wages and working conditions will be worsened. In fact the figures point in the exact opposite direction.

The unions in this case have taken a very responsible attitude to the situation. They have not gone along with the ramblings of Deputy Rabbitte on work permits. They have asked for better inspection and enforcement of work standards. I agree with that, as I believe everybody does. I encourage workers, particularly those in low paid jobs, to join the unions because the current leadership is fabulous. By doing so they would be well represented in respect of their long-term interest, as opposed to short-term political expediency, as put out by the Labour Party. Deputy Rabbitte's suggestion that workers from accession countries are displacing Irish workers by putting them out of jobs does not have any credibility, given that we almost have full employment in our economy. Ireland's unemployment rate is the lowest in Europe. I accept that we need to be wary, not in the services sector but in the exposed trade and manufacturing sector where the pain is being felt. Deputies on the Labour Party benches argued last night that too few inspectors are charged with enforcing work standards.

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