Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

I believe Deputy Morgan has accepted that some provide what is primarily a matching service, whereby they provide an introductory service between employees and employers, with the cost to be paid by the employer, not the employee. Others provide a service by deploying their own employees, sometimes from overseas, to an end-user company whereby the agency remains the employer with legal liability for the application of Irish employment legislation to those workers. Many agencies supply both types of services.

The placement function performed by an employment agency tends not to be a cause for complaint in respect of compliance with employment rights. In such cases there is not much room for confusion as to roles and responsibilities. However, I accept there is a greater capacity for lack of clarity regarding legal relationships and related responsibilities when agencies deploy their own personnel to work for a limited period to an end-user company.

I reiterate the point made by the Minister of State, Deputy Billy Kelleher, that agency workers comprise approximately 2% of the workforce. That percentage in no way understates that——

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