Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)

Indeed, there would. "Yippee Ki‐Yay", and all of that. That is the reality. I am not trying to make light of it. That was not going to happen in these sets of circumstances but it has happened to loads of people who work in the Irish film industry and that is not okay.

This is not some industry that is operating away on its own independently. This is an industry that is rightly supported by the State. We need to find a mechanism whereby we continue with section 481 but we ensure that section 481 ensures there is the correct cultural output required and that we have a film industry that gives people the correct type of work, be they directly involved from in the crew or appearing in the set and being filmed.

If we do not have that, we might have the horror stories we have all heard about phone calls not being made to the people who have all the experience. While it is important to have trainees, sometimes the ratio can be the wrong way and there may be too many trainees. This might result from someone looking at it from the point of view of saving money. The film industry is a fabulous thing. We all want to see it continue and be supported, but we need to make sure that workers' rights and artistic endeavours are looked after and that there is a sustainable industry, particularly when the State looks into it. We have an industrial relations infrastructure and framework but it is a very different situation in the film industry from many others. I would like the Minister of State to look at this issue and follow up with the Tánaiste on his promises.

See this speech in context