Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The purpose of my visit to the Gulf states was a trade mission with 87 Irish companies. I meant what I said to Paul Murphy MEP.

It is a revelation to speak to people from this country, some of whom have been out there for 25 years or more, who are working in their respective spheres or areas of activity in the states in question. I think it is important for standards to apply when trade is being done in both directions. As I have said already, this topic could be usefully discussed at the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade. It might also be useful for the Deputy to contact the members of the European Parliament delegation that went to Qatar last week. The MEPs in question had direct meetings with migrant workers and people who are in a position to ensure their rights and facilities are as they should be. Genuinely, I met a number of Irish contractors who are out there and are running a very good show, both for Irish workers and for labour recruited locally.

I know that international concerns have been expressed about the holding of the World Cup in excessive and extreme temperatures. I do not think it is physically suitable. I understand there have been discussions about changing the timing of the event. That is not a matter for me to be able to decide on. I want to say to Deputy Higgins, as I have already said to Deputy Martin, that the issue of human rights in general, and of women's rights in particular, is raised constantly by our ambassador. Along with Saudi Arabia and other countries, Ireland participates in the UN Human Rights Council. There is an appropriate time for everything. If I was going out on a mission to talk about human rights, it would be a different matter. That does not mean that various concerns and anxieties are not reflected as part of a general trade mission out there.

It is not a case of people keeping their silence. As I said to the MEP, it might be useful to visit the countries in question to understand how people from this country have gone there to employ significant numbers of local labourers to proper standards. I am not standing up here to say that everything is perfect in any country when it comes to the treatment of workers. We have a history in our own country of occasions when these things had to be improved radically. The situation needs to be monitored constantly to check that a good position applies. I am not saying that the situation is perfect in any of these places.

I believe the engagement with the Irish diaspora and with Irish business works both ways. I have met representatives of airlines and other companies that are doing business in both directions. They believe that real progress is being made. Many of these countries have come from a position of poverty in the last four decades to where they are now. It is a case of ensuring construction workers, particularly migrant workers, have their rights vindicated. I would never be afraid to stand up for that, but if the Deputy is asking me to change the 2022 World Cup from Qatar to somewhere else, I must inform him that I do not have the necessary authority or responsibility.

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