Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

The Minister informs me that the National Employment Rights Authority is examining this issue. That body exists on an interim basis and it will have statutory effect with the enactment of the employment law compliance Bill. The issue is about jurisdiction and that matter is being examined. We do not have the information on what the company is paying its staff, but the issue is still about the statutory jurisdiction of the company and how it has structured itself. The National Employment Rights Authority has jurisdiction in this area and those matters are being investigated, as is the recent story.

Even with new legislation and with European legislation, we still cannot achieve certainty about some of these companies. This is also happening in other areas, where companies are using flags of convenience and registration from outside the EU. We have not had many of those companies here, but there are several in Europe that are engaging in this. The powers of the National Employment Rights Authority will be very strong in dealing with registered companies in our jurisdiction, but we are in a different legal battle when they operate outside the jurisdiction. I cannot confirm what rate these workers are being paid because it is not clear yet.

See this speech in context