Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

The Taoiseach might not have been aware of this, but the Writers Guild of Ireland have been protesting in solidarity with the Writers Guild of America, whose members have been on strike, essentially over streaming companies and film producers robbing them of their residuals or royalties for the work they do on films, which massively cuts into the income of writers and artists. This echoes issues I have raised in the House for years now regarding the use of buy-out contracts by film producers in this country, which are funded by public money but are robbing writers, actors, performers and artists of their entitlement to royalties on the use of their intellectual property. The issue of security of employment is also part of the strike. I have also repeatedly raised, and it is now in the budget scrutiny report on section 481, the issue of the systematic, ongoing abuse of fixed-term workers' contracts by film producers which, again, are in receipt of public money.

Will the Government seriously address the recommendations on section 481 regarding these matters affecting film crews, actors and performers? As a former Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, will the Taoiseach tell me who I, or the representatives of workers and performers, can talk to in the Department who deals with the copyright directive and fixed-term workers' legislation so we can engage and explain the issues? Clearly, the Government does not seem to understand those issues.

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