Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE) | Oireachtas source

It is good to see that the Minister has recovered from coronavirus. Congratulations are also in order, as I think he is now the longest serving Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in this Government.

My questions relate to Covid and the Minister's Department. I accept that he may not have all the information before him but we do not have other avenues in oral questions and so on. He can give whatever information he has and then respond in writing. First, I will refer to the negotiations he reported previously about sick pay entitlements for meat factory workers. In September, the Minister said that those negotiations were ongoing. He has a particular responsibility for these factories, which have been a major source of Covid outbreaks. One of the major problems revealed last year by the unions and the workers was that most workers have no entitlement to sick pay. As many low-paid workers simply could not afford to go without pay, many people who felt unwell went to work and spread the virus. It is scandalous that there is no requirement on employers to pay sick pay and that the Government is still dragging its heels on this. Will the Minister update the House on this? Will the Government intervene to ensure all meat factory workers have a right to sick pay? The least that can be done is to ensure a right to sick pay for all workers and help to stop the spread of the virus.

The second question is on Covid officers in workplaces, such as the meat factories. I have heard of cases of Covid officers being hand-picked by the employers and being seen, therefore, as an extension of management. Instead of this self-regulation, will the Minister insist that every meat factory should have its own workers' health and safety committee elected by the workers themselves? Will he ensure that trade unions are allowed access to these workplaces, as is the case in New Zealand and elsewhere?

A related question is on workers whose accommodation is effectively tied to their employers. I have been informed of one worker who spoke up, including on social media, about conditions in a meat factory. The employer did not sack him, which would have allowed him to take an unfair dismissals case, but kicked him out of his accommodation instead. For many people working in the meat factories and other big agricultural companies such as Keelings, the boss is not just their employer but their landlord and they are currently exempted from the eviction ban. Will the Government act to resolve that?

If the Minister does not have the answer to my final question to hand, he can respond in writing. Cheltenham was a feature last year in the spread of Covid. I presume everyone accepts it was a contributory factor in the speed of the spread of the virus. I understand that 350 Irish jockeys, trainers and grooms are preparing to go to Cheltenham this year. Many of them may be in receipt of funds from Horse Racing Ireland, which in turn receives funds from the State. That is not to mention, and I really advise against it, those who intend to attend Cheltenham. Does the Department or the Minister plan to do anything on that?

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