Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)

I support amendments Nos. 11 and 12. I am afraid the Minister of State's response to Deputy Howlin's amendments is in keeping with the Department's attitude to this legislation. It seems to me that it wishes to create À la carte legislation from which it can pick and choose at will. Members were informed on Committee Stage that the previous amendment, namely, amendment No. 10, could only be dealt with in the context of the Industrial Relations Acts. However, this is not the case because, clearly, the Competition Authority was established under the Competition Act and this Bill pertains to that Act. Hence, the Government's attitude has been very unhelpful in this regard and does not lead to proper legislation.

At present, many freelance workers do not have the right to be collectively represented and effectively are being treated as though they were companies. This position is unacceptable and the amendment would have helped to resolve it. Within the context of this Bill, there was clear provision to deal with this issue and it is most unfortunate that Members have been misled on some occasions and misrepresented on others, as have the workers. As Deputy Michael D. Higgins has noted, workers have been accused of being well off in certain circumstances. I support these two amendments and hope the Minister of State will be somewhat more forthright in his response.

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