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

The Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017 completed Committee Stage in the Dáil on 17 May and is back for Report Stage next Tuesday and Wednesday. The Bill includes a provision to prohibit zero-hour contracts except in cases of genuine casual work, emergency cover or short-term relief work for the employer. It is worth recalling that the University of Limerick study, commissioned by the former Minister of State, Senator Gerald Nash, found that zero-hour contracts were not prevalent in Ireland. The provisions in this Bill dealing with zero-hour contracts will help to ensure this remains the position.

It is important to understand, however, we are not saying in the Bill that all casual or flexible working arrangements are wrong and should be prohibited. On the contrary, flexible working arrangements are an essential requirement for any modern economy. I note the University of Limerick study acknowledged that genuine flexible working arrangements can be mutually beneficial for both employees and employers. To prohibit outright all casual work or all flexible working arrangements would have very serious unintended consequences for many businesses and service providers across the country. Our schools and hospitals, for example, simply could not function. Businesses in the retail, hospitality or care sectors would be unable to operate without the ability employ certain staff on flexible working arrangements to satisfy peak demands and fill staffing gaps on a short-term basis.

The Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill is important legislation. It contains a range of measures designed to improve the security and predictability of working hours for employees on insecure contracts and those working variable hours. We will continue to work with colleagues on all sides of the House, as we have done to date, to progress this Bill as quickly as possible so we can deliver legislation that is fair, balanced and works in the best interests of both employees and employers.

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