Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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22. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on his most recent engagements with the social partners. [58891/22]

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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23. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on his most recent engagements with the social partners. [59156/22]

Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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24. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on his most recent engagements with the social partners. [60897/22]

Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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25. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on his most recent engagements with the social partners. [60902/22]

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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26. To ask the Taoiseach when he will next meet with the social partners. [61330/22]

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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27. To ask the Taoiseach when he will next meet with the social partners. [61333/22]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 22 to 27, inclusive, together.

The Government recognises the importance of regular engagement with all sectors of society. In recent months I have had a number of engagements with social partners in a variety of formats. This includes through mechanisms such as the Labour Employer Economic Forum, LEEF, which brings together representatives of employers and trade unions with Ministers to exchange views on economic and employment issues as they affect the labour market and which are of mutual concern.

The most recent plenary meeting of the LEEF, which I chair, took place on 5 December. It was an opportunity to look at current challenges, in particular in the areas of energy, the cost of living and winter challenges. Under the auspices of LEEF there has been significant progress on issues such as the introduction of statutory sick pay, workplace safety during Covid and the report of the high-level review group on collective bargaining.

Other engagements I have had with social partners include meetings in recent months with both the community and voluntary pillar in August and the environmental pillar in October to discuss how social dialogue can be further strengthened, as well as issues of concern to the sectors.

Social dialogue and engagement between Government, trade unions and other representative groups also takes place through structures like the national economic dialogue, the National Economic and Social Council, the national dialogue on climate action, the national competitiveness and productivity council, through many sectoral groups and with Ministers and Departments directly. Citizens assemblies, including the current assembly on biodiversity loss and the recently concluded assembly on a directly elected mayor for Dublin are other models for broad-based social dialogue.

November saw the launch of the first civic forum for the community and voluntary sector, which I opened and which will further support dialogue between the sector and local and central government.

The Government looks forward to continuing its engagements with the social partners in the period ahead as we continue to strengthen social dialogue and work collaboratively to tackle major challenges facing the country.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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I thank the Taoiseach for his briefing and update on LEEF. We know the high-level working group on collective bargaining has reported under the auspices of LEEF. Beyond that, can the Taoiseach say what specific measures the Government will take to improve collective bargaining rates and how to provide for that in law? On a related topic, given the forthcoming EU directive on adequate minimum wages gives us two years to transpose it into law and given that it contains specific measures to ensure that where the coverage rate of collective bargaining is below 80% member states must establish an action plan to promote collective bargaining, how does the Government propose taking concrete action to reach 80% given that we currently rank 15 out of 23 countries in collective bargaining coverage with only 33% in Ireland? For the Labour Party this is a huge issue given that in particular we have some of the highest rates of low pay in Europe. The directive on minimum wages and wage setting itself is very welcome but it is also welcome because it will see us having to promote collective bargaining in law and having to move away from the voluntarist model that has characterised collective bargaining for too long in this State.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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I want to raise two issues that I have raised before on which progress has not been made. First is the imminent closure of the Mater Hospital long Covid clinic as a result of a HSE decision not to fund its work. Frankly, I find this decision inexplicable. I have written to the Taoiseach on this and I know Dr. Jack Lambart has done so too. The Taoiseach previously undertook to investigate the matter. What progress has been made? Is it the intention of the Minister or the HSE to respond formally to the Mater's request?

I also raise the transfer of disability functions from the Department of Health to the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. No progress has been made by either Department in the distribution of emergency one-off funding for services announced in September's budget as a consequence of the protracted delay in concluding the transfer. It was the Taoiseach's view last month that the transfer would be brought to a conclusion quickly and that the additional funding and resources would follow. That has not happened. The services concerned are in desperate straits. Will the transfer be completed by the end of this month?

Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Budget 2023 delivered significant emergency support to cushion households from the worst affects of the energy crisis. One key welcome change was the expansion of eligibility limits for the fuel allowance payment for people over 70 years. The income threshold for those over 70 years has been increased to €1,000 a week. That is a significant and very welcome improvement to the scheme. I thank the Taoiseach and the Minister for making this important change. Will the Taoiseach commit to asking the Minister to arrange for a publicity campaign to let people know about the positive change coming into affect in January?

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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To be clear about what I was saying about Debehams, the Debenhams group which had been taken over by three vulture funds including two banks, Barclays and Bank of Ireland, saddled a floating charge of €200 million on the Irish operation. That would have been clear to anyone who was looking at it and should have been clear to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment when KPMG informed it of the liquidation. It did demonstrate that this was a cynical, tactical liquidation that was orchestrated precisely to the day a year in advance in order to ensure that 1,000 workers who had given decades of service to that company would lose their jobs and not get a cent because artificial debts were imposed on the company. An ex-employee of KPMG, which I remind the House, is the liquidator, was involved in this transaction that took place a year to the day before those workers received their notice. Had it been received anything less than one year the €200 million debt would not have been there. It could not have been done. It explicitly exploited a loophole in company law which the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment should have known about and which KPMG should have and I suspect know about. Did it tell the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment what was going on? These are the questions that need to be answered. I am asking the Taoiseach to look into them as he was the Taoiseach when all this happened for the sake of the 1,000 workers and others who could face a similar fate.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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Currently, over 3,000 civilian staff work with An Garda Síochána. These are people who applied for civil servant roles and were allocated, under the Department of Justice, to work in An Garda Síochána. At the moment, they can transfer out to work in another civil servant role. They are 100% civil servants like any other civil servant. However, the Government's new Policing Bill would have a dramatic impact on their employment conditions. It would effectively cordon them off and make their employer An Garda Síochána. It would mean that they could no longer transfer out of An Garda Síochána. They could no longer apply for open competitions and would likely have a significant impact on their terms and conditions down the line. Their union, Fórsa, says there has not been engagement on this matter. Will the Taoiseach commit that the Government will not proceed with the Bill as currently written without the consent and agreement of these workers who will be very badly affected.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Very briefly, less than 30 seconds for Deputies Tóibín and Bríd Smith.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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I have raised this very serious issue with the Taoiseach before. Small-scale childcare and ECCE services throughout the country are in serious trouble as a result of the core funding plan by the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Deputy O'Gorman. They are going out of business. They are getting loans to pay for staff over Christmas. They are letting their children go. No other businesses will be able to open in their place. I understand that more money is going into it and that there is benefit for some but there is a sector which is far worse off and will leave and will not be able to provide a service very shortly. These are in small towns where no one else will go near it. Will the Taoiseach ask the Minister to meet with them?

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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In his discussion with the social partners, did the Taoiseach discuss the employment regulation order for the security industry which is being held up because of a court challenge by a number of big security companies? This is pretty pathetic especially since the Government recently made arrangements to lift the pay limits on very-well paid bankers but security workers who are paid the minimum wage and are entitled to a pay increase and improvement in their terms and conditions are being held back for the last year because of this court challenge. Will the Government intervene? Will it show that it supports the workers in this court challenge and not allow them to be held back the way they are? We can intervene on bankers pay. We should intervene for this group of front-line workers who are very low paid and very badly treated.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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The time is up. We have no time for a response but the Taoiseach might take two or three minutes.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy McDonald raised the Mater Hospital long Covid unit. That is a matter for the Mater and the HSE. I do not know what is behind all this or what is going on in there in terms of the various sets of relationships. I know the Minister is here. My understanding was that it was going to be continued but that is a matter on which we will engage with the HSE to see what the real story is. It is uisce faoi thalamh, b'fhéidir.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Uisce faoi thalamh.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Is deacair a dhéanamh amach cad atá ar siúl.

Deputy Devlin mentioned the fuel allowance for the over 70s. It is a very good idea to have a publicity campaign to ensure that people are aware of the increased eligibility thresholds so that people who heretofore did not qualify will avail of the free fuel allowance.

It is a very good idea, in terms of the publicity campaign, to make sure people are aware of the increased eligibility thresholds such that those who did not qualify heretofore for the free-fuel allowance, for example, may now avail of it. The Minister should please take note.

Deputy Boyd Barrett raised the issue of the Debenhams Group. I hear what he is saying. I have not seen the material but will of course examine it. I will ask the Secretary General of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment to do so also in respect of the issues that have arisen.

On Deputy Paul Murphy's point, in any State or Government initiative we always protect the terms and conditions of employees within the public service. That has happened with Irish Water and so on. However, the broader issue of the Bill relates to policing reform and the policing commission's recommendations, so that reform has to proceed. Parallel with that, the issues can be resolved through the normal channels and mechanisms.

On Deputy Tóibín's point on small-scale childcare and the early childhood care and education scheme, the Minister responsible, Deputy O'Gorman, has announced a review of the sector. He has had discussions with the federation regarding it, and it called off its action in response. I hope the review can bring to light the issues the Deputy has raised and see them resolved.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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There is nothing new in the table.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Sorry?

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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The review was announced last August.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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We cannot have a conversation about it.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy Bríd Smith raised the issue of the employment regulation order for the security industry. Again, that is in the courts. We do not intervene in the courts. The comparison made is false because there was no court case regarding the banking decisions. The matter arose from a review carried out concerning the banks themselves, particularly those not owned by the State and in which we have no involvement. We do not get involved in court cases normally but we are keeping a very strong watching brief on the matter to make sure the employment regulation order is ultimately adhered to. Whatever steps we have to take to ensure workers' rights are protected, we will take.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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What about my point on collective bargaining?

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I apologise. The high-level review group on collective bargaining made substantial proposals, as the Deputy knows. The Tánaiste and Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment propose to work with the partners to have them implemented throughout 2023.