Eugene Murphy (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Like many of the previous speakers - the Sinn Féin Members who proposed the Bill, my colleagues, Deputies O'Dea, Butler and Murphy O'Mahony - I add my total support to what is proposed. I am in agreement with Deputy O'Dea that if amendments are required we can all work together to ensure changes can be made for the betterment of the Bill. I encourage the Government to allow the Bill to go through. It should withdraw the amendment because the Bill favours people who should get the money. Many of them are part-time employees, work unsociable hours or seasonally and they need it.

When I leave a tip in a restaurant, I expect it to go directly to the people who prepared and served the meal. I would be angry if I found out the money was going elsewhere. That should not happen. The right thing to do this evening is to support the Bill and if we want to make amendments to improve it further along its passage, let us do that.

I spoke to an employer about the issue only last week. She told me she would welcome this type of legislation because it would be clearly there in black and white and the public would understand where in law the money was supposed to go. I am sure many employers who rightly give tips to their staff would welcome such legislation.

Fianna Fáil brought in the National Minimum Wage Act in 2000. We increased the rate six or seven times in the following ten years. I am not surprised that this side of the House would fully support what Sinn Féin is trying to do. There should be no interference by employers with money that is given by a customer to staff who need the money.

There has been much talk about electronic payments. When I go to a restaurant, on paying the Bill, I ask for an extra €10 or other amount back in cash and I give it directly to the people who served me. Some say they must put it into a special container and then the money is shared out. That is fine if that is the way it is done. That is one way to get over the fear that if a tip is paid electronically that it will never make its way to the people to whom it should go.

There are times when one needs to do the right thing and the right thing to do for every Member is to support the Bill and to work to bring it into law as quickly as possible. Many employers would welcome the fact that such a provision would be in law and there would be little or no confusion. People would not say employers hold the tips or do not give it to their workers. It would be clearly there in black and white and there would be no further confusion about it. When I was in a restaurant in the west last year, I saw a notice saying that all tips given would go directly to the staff, which is great. It was there in black and white in public. The public would welcome that.

The Minister has left the Chamber and the Minister of State, Deputy Stanton, is representing the Government. The public is very much against what the Government is doing, which is tabling an amendment to the Bill. In most people's minds, the legislation is the right thing to do. In the name of God, if somebody leaves a tip for an employee in a restaurant for the chefs or those serving the customers he or she expects that tip to go to the staff. That is the bottom line.

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