Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)

I welcome the fact there is movement on this, but at the heart of the issue is a simple question of fairness. Workers who come to Ireland on employment permits are legally present in the country, paying taxes and contributing to our essential sectors, such as those mentioned by the Minister of State, but once they arrive, they find themselves tied to a single employer under rigid rules that limit their ability to change jobs. I spoke to one of these migrants who was a mushroom picker about the conditions the workers were working in and how they felt they were stuck with the job. It is not acceptable.

If we go back to where Ireland was, we are a proud nation and we emigrated and worked in these types of job. When we look at the people who left this country, we should be fighting for the people who are coming to this country to have the same rights.

We have heard countless stories, one of which I just mentioned. In some cases, migrants are left waiting for too long for decisions and feel as if they are trapped. In the worst cases, people are left vulnerable to abuse by employers because the employers know these people do not have another option.

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