Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour) | Oireachtas source

We are providing an opportunity to a considerable number of non-EEA workers who are engaged in this system to be considered employees. The new permit scheme will be very robust. The State will hold a central depository of relevant permits that are in play at any given moment. The Deputy will be aware that the number of permits in the scheme has been set at 500. For the first few months of the operation of the new scheme, we want to work towards a system whereby those who are here already have the opportunity to regularise their situation.

We have been working with the ITF and with the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland, MRCI. I insisted that both organisations would be consulted and engaged with in the context of the development of the new scheme. I respect and acknowledge the work that the ITF has been doing - and Mr. Ken Fleming in particular - on this issue for a considerable number of years. The State has responded in a very effective way to this very egregious situation to protect the interests of extremely vulnerable workers who have been exploited. We will have the full range of employment protections in place under this scheme to protect people at work. They will be paid at the bare minimum, that is, at the national minimum wage rate. We will establish for them an employee employer relationship. I hope that Deputy Murphy will recognise that this is significant progress in the context of where we have come from.

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