Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

In May we approved the drafting of the Bill. We were responding to the commitment in the programme for Government to tackle the problem, but I am also well aware and acknowledge that there are Private Members' Bills to address the issue. The proposed legislation will deal with an area where current employment rights legislation needs to be strengthened without putting an unnecessarily onerous burden on the businesses that employ the people in question. The Bill is being drafted and I hope to be able to publish it in December. If there is not the usual rush here in the last couple of weeks in December, I might be lucky to have it started before Christmas. I say this while acknowledging we also have the Social Welfare, Pensions and Civil Registration Bill 2017 and will have the new Social Welfare Bill that will go to the Cabinet next. It is a "maybe", unless I hog the House with Deputies Willie O'Dea and John Brady for the next couple of weeks. If the Bill is not brought forward before Christmas, we will bring it forward straight after it.

See this speech in context