Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

My argument is that legislation enabling such prosecutions is in place and that NERA has the ability to prosecute, but it is not working and the Minister must take my word for it. I have seen too many guys who came from other restaurants and who were not registered and employers are getting away with it. There is a problem with the system. Will the Bill address that problem in any way?

The Minister said that perhaps the guy might have made a simple mistake. If the Minister was to introduce a fixed penalty of €5,000, for example, and also included an appeals system, the guy who was genuinely paying the proper wage and could prove it would be able to appeal against the imposition of the fine and would not be done unfairly. There is something wrong if the rules do not ensure things work properly. They are not. There are lots of people working in the black economy. It would be foolish to deny that we have a problem. If this Bill can help and an appeals system can be built into the process, that will be positive move on the part of the State.

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