Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)

I welcome the opportunity to make a brief contribution to this very important debate and I thank Deputy O'Rourke for sharing time with her colleagues.

I compliment the Fine Gael Party and specifically Deputy Denis Naughten on this motion. I acknowledge the interest the Deputy has shown in this subject over a long period and congratulate him on his work. I also congratulate him on his election as an international council member of the Association of European Parliamentarians for Africa, the organisation that supports parliaments in Africa, of which the Leas-Chathaoirleach is a vice chairman. Deputy Naughten will bring great experience to this role. This is relevant to this debate because it demonstrates his interest in the subject.

I acknowledge the point Deputy Mary White made on Women's Aid's 12-day initiative. I thank the organisation for making contact with me and my colleagues. I will certainly be happy to support the initiative and attend the organisation's function next week.

Deputy Ciaran Cuffe referred to the representations made by various organisations. Individuals in my constituency of Dublin South-West have contacted me also. The interest shown in this motion is to be commended.

The National Action Plan to Prevent and Combat Trafficking in Human Beings in Ireland 2009-2012 was published in June 2009 and it was developed under four main headings: prevention and awareness raising; the prosecution of traffickers; the protection of victims; and combatting child trafficking. The Minister of State, Deputy Barry Andrews, whose presence in the Chamber I welcome, will have much to say in his contribution in this regard. The action plan provides the blueprint for the State's response to the issue. It records the comprehensive programme of legislation and policy development, the enforcement actions completed and the initiatives that are and will be undertaken.

I took the opportunity last night to listen to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform and the Minister of State, Deputy John Curran. I was glad to note their interest in this issue. At a time when the political agenda is dominated by one subject, it is good, effective and important for the Parliament to continue to deal with issues that are of concern to people. Human trafficking is of concern to groups and individuals outside this House. I am glad we have been able to continue to focus on it even though we are all preoccupied with other issues.

A wide range of training and awareness-raising initiatives has been launched and more are planned. I am told that, since last year, more than 130 people from various Departments and agencies have participated in awareness training. This was provided by the International Organisation for Migration, with an input from the NGOs, the Garda, the National Immigration Bureau and the anti-human trafficking unit. In excess of 60 National Employment Rights Authority Inspectors were among the participants. I am told other participants included Private Security Authority inspectors and representatives of the Departments of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and Social and Family Affairs.

A number of training courses are being finalised in conjunction with the International Organisation for Migration and are to be rolled out to personnel from a number of Government organisations before the end of 2009. The courses are designed for training officers in organisations that give in-service training to all staff members. They include a module on human trafficking as part of the in-service training day. Two of the courses, I am told, will be held before the end of the year, one later this month and one in December.

An information seminar was provided in February 2009 to approximately 40 diplomats in the Department of Foreign Affairs who are being posted abroad to a variety of missions, including in Africa and Asia. These diplomats deal with businesses, visa applications and education agencies. A similar seminar was provided in March 2009 to staff in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment who are responsible for the examination and granting of work permits. I compliment the Minister and the Ministers of State on their initiatives in this regard. I encourage them to continue with this work and to resource the initiatives.

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