Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)

I am aware of that legislation but refer to legislation on foot of a High Court undertaking sought by the Competition Authority from SIPTU that equity members, who work for several different employers and are on self-assessment, would not be represented by their union, SIPTU. The union officer would be sent to jail if he or she represented, for example, the actors involved in making advertisements.

I prepared Private Members' legislation on this matter but that is where it lies. I understood it was raised at the meeting of the social partners and the Taoiseach said we would, if necessary, go back to it because it involved contravention of an ILO regulation and undermined the trade union representation, among other things. One would have thought the brothers and sisters at their meeting with the Taoiseach yesterday would be in a position to know whether their friend, the Taoiseach, intended to legislate on this matter or not. It is as simple as that. I have Private Members' legislation which I will be glad to reintroduce to the Dáil to seek the support of all elements of Government.

See this speech in context