Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am pleased to have an opportunity to speak about this topic. I acknowledge the great work of my colleague, Deputy Anne Rabbitte, in bringing forward the Bill. Since the Workplace Relations Commission's ruling in March this year, the issue of au pairs and the work they do has been shrouded in confusion. The legal and regulatory vacuum needs to be addressed in a proper and prudent way through legislation. What happened in the case brought before the Workplace Relations Commission was a disgrace. It breached all of the rights we want to uphold in this House. It is important to bring regulatory and legal clarity to this issue, rather than burying the cultural process of the au pair. Deputy Anne Rabbitte strikes the necessary balance in her Bill. Owing to the absence of legislation in this area, the Workplace Relations Commission took the approach of equating au pairs with domestic workers, thereby ignoring the cultural and other benefits au pairs gained from their work. I have been contacted by many families who have informed me that, owing to the high cost of child care, au pairs are the only form of affordable child care available to them.

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