Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)

It would be very useful if the Minister and the Minister for Social Protection drew up a definitive list of actions and supports. I will work with them in doing that, so that if this situation happens again, we will have something - almost a pack - to present to workers showing them the do's and don'ts of what they are allowed to do, so people will have clarity around that. Will the Minister consider a number of measures to strengthen worker protections in similar circumstances? The first would be to have enhanced oversight of franchising and subcontracting models. Many of these arrangements blur the line between employment and self-employment. We need clearer legal definitions and enforcement to ensure the people doing the work are afforded the rights and protections of workers, including redundancy notice and holiday entitlements, even where corporate structures try to say otherwise. That is critically important.

The Minister must also remember that workers all over the country are impacted by this, including in my constituency.

See this speech in context