Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Pringle for tabling the question. I am pleased to inform the Deputy that yesterday afternoon, following a decision by Government yesterday morning, I published the study by the University of Limerick, UL, on the prevalence of zero-hour contracts and low-hour contracts in the Irish economy. This week, I will launch a public consultation process to give all interested parties an opportunity to consider and respond to the conclusions drawn in the report and the recommendations made by the UL. I understand that the UL conducted stakeholder interviews with 30 bodies as part of the study, including 13 employer and business organisations, eight trade unions, four NGOs and five Government Departments and agencies.

It is important to point out this is an independent study, and the conclusions drawn and the recommendations made are those of the UL. Therefore, it is essential that the various stakeholders who contributed to the study and, indeed, other interested parties who may not have had an opportunity to engage with the UL, are given an opportunity to consider and respond to the findings and recommendations in the report. This will allow me and the Government colleagues to be more fully informed before formulating our own views on the policy recommendations that I should bring to the Government arising from the study.

I urge all parties with an interest in the area to consider carefully the findings and recommendations published yesterday, and I would welcome submissions in response to the study, including submissions from seasonal workers and their representatives, to whom the Deputy referred in his question.

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