M J Nolan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate and to support the Government's amendment. However, I commend the Labour Party on tabling the motion, which gives Members an opportunity to highlight the difficulties they have experienced in recent years.

Part of the problem is that we would not be experiencing such difficulties were it not for the inordinate success of the economy in the past 20 to 25 years. None of us would have been exposed to migrant or other foreign workers to the extent we have were it not for the fact that the economy was growing at an average rate of 8% per annum for approximately ten years. We were not in a position to supply the labour needed to keep the economy going forward at that rate and we were obliged to bring in between 40,000 to 45,000 migrant workers per annum. Economists state that just to maintain what, by comparison with the previous position, will be relatively low levels of growth in the next two to three years, we will be obliged to bring in between 10,000 to 20,000 workers. Those people will be very welcome.

It is important to acknowledge that any non-Irish workers employed in the State are entitled to the same protection under legislation as their Irish counterparts. As previous speakers indicated, the major difficulties arise in labour-intensive industries such as agriculture and aquaculture and in the services sector. There are those who say that because many of the foreign workers employed in these areas do not have full command of the English language, unscrupulous employers tend to take advantage of them. It is in that context I urge the Minister to fast-track the introduction of the employment agency regulation Bill. I am aware that it has not yet gone to Cabinet but the Minister must ensure that the introduction of this much needed and probably overdue legislation be fast-tracked. I hope the Bill might pass all Stages in both Houses by the end of the year.

Abuses relating to migrant workers have been highlighted in the past five years. I refer, in particular, to two cases involving non-Irish workers who seem to have been employed on contracts and at rates of pay that were not the same as those enjoyed by their Irish counterparts. There are those who claim that it is in the interests of the agencies involved to have some of these workers being paid at such rates. Others would say that it was for tax reasons that they were being paid in such a manner and that some of the payments came under the radar of the tax authorities. For whatever reason, it is important that we should close off whatever loopholes exist. Irish and non-Irish workers should be paid the same rates and enjoy the same conditions of employment.

As a result of the slowdown in the economy, an element of competition has entered the workplace. This is particularly the case in the building sector, where competition has arisen between Irish and non-Irish workers. It is unfortunate that this has happened. There is a large population of non-Irish families and workers in the country. I would be sorry to see a situation develop in which there would be competition between those on both sides. It would be wrong for those on one side to accuse those on the other of undercutting them by reducing prices.

A number of non-Irish workers have claimed that the Department only provides information in the English language and that they cannot understand it. I commend the unions for taking part in the debate on this issue and for ensuring that workers, be they Irish or non-Irish, are catered for and will have someone to make the case on their behalf. The extraordinary changes which have taken place are part of the problem we have. The Government and the Irish people are to be commended for the welcoming approach they have given to non-Irish workers in so far as we were one of the few countries that accepted Polish workers when they acceded to the European Union some years ago.

I commend the Minister of State on what is being done but ask him to bring forward the promised legislation earlier rather than later.

See this speech in context