Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

This will give all the social partners a better picture in respect of how many persons are employed by agencies, the sectors in which they are active, where they are from and whether the practice of agency working is growing.

The phenomenon of agency working is not new and has been a key feature of sectors such as nursing for many years where the availability of agency personnel has provided an element of much-needed flexibility. This phenomenon has also been witnessed in the broad information technology sector in recent years. Workers in these sectors in general are relatively well paid and are highly mobile. Agency working suits their lifestyle and allows the flexibility of which they wish to avail. I experienced this phenomenon as Minister for Health and Children for many years whereby people left almost permanent employment and opted for the agency route because it suited their individual needs.

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