Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)

The Migrant Rights Centre Ireland and other such organisations are not so much the first port of call for people who find themselves in difficulties but usually the only port of call. It is amazing that we have four statutory agencies charged with responsibility in this area - four different units with wide-ranging roles - namely, the Legal Aid Board, the Garda Síochána, the Department of Health and the Department of Justice and Equality.

There is a huge issue in regard to information and communication around all of this. In the event that people are granted a work permit, which is usually how they come into the country, there must be information available in their own language. As the Deputies rightly said, these people probably have very limited English, although they might have much more grasp of it than our grasp of their native language. We must ensure the information that is necessary to keep these people safe in very vulnerable positions is distributed to them.

With regard to the legislation, while the governing Act may need to be tweaked, perhaps this can be done by alteration to existing legislation and may not require the sort of over-arching legislation we assume is necessary. However, there has to be a penalty for people who exploit others in this way.

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