Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State outlined a process for public tendering. Are the main contractors not responsible for all subcontractors and the workers of all subcontractors on a site? What can the Government do if it finds non-compliance? Can a contract be terminated? Could it apply to re-tender it? What kind of sanctions are in place for a main contractor who does not seem to be observing the rules the Minister of State outlined?

The Minister of State mentioned Contractors Administration Services but whistleblowers have asked me if CAS has the kind of expertise required. It seems to be mainly a private forensic accounting and auditing company. Why are the State agencies not ensuring the laws are being upheld? The Minister of State did not respond to my question on pre-entry checks on all workers and all personnel going onto sites. I referred to sites of companies such as Intel. When it was building all its fabs, there was very strict invigilation as to who entered the site.

Is there a race to the bottom in terms of the contracts themselves, one of which I have in my possession, and where the pricing system does not seem to allow for any kind of adequate wages or returns for the workers? Have the Minister of State's Department, other Departments and public tendering officials the expertise to invigilate cost structures? Why are trade union officials blacklisted from sites such as those in Drumcondra and Lucan? There are serious allegations that workers are being denied pay and pension rights on those sites.

Will the Government put the hidden economy monitoring group, which I understand involves a number of Departments and agencies, on a statutory footing and introduce a Bill to ensure there is no more of this chicanery and alleged serious criminality in the hidden economy, or the black economy, which is supposed to cost our country billions of euro in GDP each year?

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