Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

There are a number of points here. During the negotiations on 2016 we spent a long time coming to agreement on this issue. The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Martin, has been preparing legislation on the agency Bill, which we are anxious to bring forward. We also have the employment compliance Bill. We have employed additional inspectors and we are due to increase the number to the full quota shortly. The ongoing negotiations seek clarity. They seek to regulate improvements and to try to arrive at a directive that is balanced and complies with our competitive position so we do not lose ground in that regard — we will discuss competitive issues later today in the House.

Many countries have derogations which we do not have, which are part of their agreements with the EU. As we have been a member of the Union for a long time, 35 years, we do not have such a derogation, which is a consideration. It is not a question of us blocking anything but, as always happens with a directive, of one trying to have it implemented in a way that corrects the balances, protects workers, in particular those who might be marginalised or paid below the required rate, and deals with all of the exploitation issues. On the other side, the directive seeks to retain the flexibilities that are important for international and Irish companies in Ireland, which need flexibility to get top quality expertise into their workforces.

All of these matters must be taken into account in the round. Obviously, we would like to have them brought to a satisfactory and balanced conclusion, and to pass the agency Bill and the employment compliance Bill, which is what we are determined to achieve.

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