Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As the Tánaiste is aware, one of the many costs facing families is child care. Many choose to have au pairs to help them in that regard, normally as part of a cultural exchange. There are up to 20,000 au pairs in Ireland and some Deputies have undoubtedly used them at some point. Most au pairs have a great experience in the six to 12 months that they spend in this country, but there is no regulation or legal definition of au pairs. This allows them to be open to exploitation, which is condemned by all sides of the House.

There have been a series of Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, rulings in the past 12 months. As reported in today's newspapers, it found as recently as yesterday that €2,300 had to be paid to an au pair who had not been paid the minimum wage or for three Sundays. Last June, Fianna Fáil introduced a Bill, which the Government decided not to support for various reasons, to discuss the definition of "au pair" and bring legal clarity to same.

Families up and down the country are reading newspapers today to see how the situation is being addressed, but it is not. Instead, we have pushed the issue out further, leaving people wondering about the definition. We must now decide whether we want to support the 20,000 families and press for the board and lodgings rate of €54 per week. The Minister of State, Deputy Breen, has considered whether this matter should be reviewed, but where is that review? The situation has not been reviewed in 15 years. According to the Minister of State, the 20,000 families would benefit from a review, given that they would then fall under the minimum wage criteria.

Why is the Government allowing these anomalies to continue and why is it prepared to dismiss the concerns of families that depend on au pairs? Does the Government believe that the au pair programme is worth maintaining? Apparently, the Minister of State requested the Low Pay Commission to review the board and lodgings rate last September, but nothing has been heard since. When will the review be completed and when will families with au pairs have clarity on the matter?

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