Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)

I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive reply, even though I totally disagree with the last part of it. The following is a statement from one migrant domestic worker:

The permit is like a chain around your neck. I couldn't leave my job. I was told by my employer that if I leave I will be illegal here and not be able to find another job. He said that I would be sent back home in shackles.

On hearing this at a meeting of the Joint Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment, one was ashamed to be Irish. I believe the Minister of State is aware of the audio recording. In fairness to him, he has some sympathy with the case.

We all know the Minister must run the system correctly and that it cannot be blackguarded in any way. I know the point Minister of State is making. However, does he not agree that one should be allowed to change employer by notifying the Minister that is one is changing from employer Deputy Morgan, politician, to employer Deputy Penrose, politician, for example? It is a case of moving from like to like - it is not a case of going all over the place within the 12-month period.

Can what I propose not be achieved through a simple administrative change? There is no need to introduce any legislation. A simple administrative change would suffice. It would give people the right to freely change employer to ensure they are not exploited, and that what was outlined on the audio tape, which shamed us as Irish people, will never again be visited upon people. I am frightened to think that any of my six uncles and two aunts who emigrated in the 1940s and 1950s, or any others who emigrated, would have been subjected to what I heard about. I was ashamed to be Irish on hearing it.

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