Results 2,081-2,100 of 4,178 for speaker:Paul Gavan

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Competition (Amendment) Bill 2021 (2 Feb 2021)

Paul Gavan: How will the administrative financial sanctions work? Is the constitutional question still present? Will the courts ultimately still have to sanction the level of the penalty or will these administrative sanctions be independent of the courts?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Competition (Amendment) Bill 2021 (2 Feb 2021)

Paul Gavan: Will that cause difficulties in that the higher the financial penalty, the more likely that it will be considered punitive in nature and, therefore, potentially unconstitutional?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Competition (Amendment) Bill 2021 (2 Feb 2021)

Paul Gavan: I mentioned the RSM Robson Rhodes report last week when I was chatting to the Tánaiste. Back in 2007, that report estimated that we were losing €2.5 billion per year from economic crime. That equates to a potential loss to the economy of €35 billion over the past 14 years. Why has the State been so slow to tackle this aspect of economic crime, given the potentially severe...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (8 Feb 2021)

Paul Gavan: I want to raise the crucial issue for Limerick of the Coonagh to Knockalisheen road. I am sure that many Members will have heard about this over the past weeks. Let me begin by saying that anyone who knows Moyross will know that it is among the most socially disadvantaged and socially isolated communities anywhere in the State. There is a tremendously brave and united community there...

Seanad: Mental Health and Covid-19: Statements (12 Feb 2021)

Paul Gavan: It is the first time I have met the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, in the Chamber since her appointment. I wish her well and congratulate her. I will be critical of the Government but I do not doubt the Minister of State's personal commitment to this role. I would argue the Minister of State's job is certainly among the toughest of any Minister in the Government. Where should one begin...

Seanad: Remote Working Strategy: Motion (15 Feb 2021)

Paul Gavan: It is nice to see Senator McGreehan in the Chair and to have the Minister of State, Deputy English, in the House. On behalf of Sinn Féin, I welcome this motion. There are lots of positive messages around remote working that we fully support. Like my colleague from the Labour Party, however, I am concerned about the aspirational nature of much of what is proposed as opposed to there...

Seanad: Remote Working Strategy: Motion (15 Feb 2021)

Paul Gavan: Information-----

Seanad: Remote Working Strategy: Motion (15 Feb 2021)

Paul Gavan: How dare the Minister of State-----

Seanad: Remote Working Strategy: Motion (15 Feb 2021)

Paul Gavan: The Minister is watering down-----

Seanad: Remote Working Strategy: Motion (15 Feb 2021)

Paul Gavan: Opposing an-----

Seanad: Remote Working Strategy: Motion (15 Feb 2021)

Paul Gavan: There is not a right to collective bargaining.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Employment Permits (Consolidation and Amendment) Bill 2019 (16 Feb 2021)

Paul Gavan: I thank Ms Ward for her presentation. I want to begin by checking one point she made when she spoke to my colleague, Deputy O'Reilly. If I am misquoting her, she can correct me. I think Ms Ward said that issues like workers’ rights and a living wage do not come under the scope of this scheme. Is that correct?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Employment Permits (Consolidation and Amendment) Bill 2019 (16 Feb 2021)

Paul Gavan: I see. Can Ms Ward explain who sets the wages? Let us take the example she gave earlier of the agrifood workers on €23,000 a year, which is the princely sum of €423 a week to do some of the hardest, most back-breaking work that anyone ever does. Who sets that rate of pay?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Employment Permits (Consolidation and Amendment) Bill 2019 (16 Feb 2021)

Paul Gavan: I apologise for interrupting but we are under pressure as regards time. Let us talk about meat factory workers. Some 90% of workers in meat plants have no sick pay. Irish meat plant operatives work an average of 4.7 weeks per year more than their EU counterparts and they rank bottom of the list on actual hourly wages received. Those are statistics from the SIPTU trade union. My point is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Employment Permits (Consolidation and Amendment) Bill 2019 (16 Feb 2021)

Paul Gavan: I am told that is not a practical suggestion because the vast majority of the meat factories refuse to engage with trade unions, which, again, is a concern. Surely, that should be a threshold in regard to work permits. On another point, the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland, MRCI, compiled a really devastating report, Working to the Bone, on the meat industry just last year. Has Ms Ward read...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Employment Permits (Consolidation and Amendment) Bill 2019 (16 Feb 2021)

Paul Gavan: I again apologise for interrupting and I appreciate Ms Ward's patience. As she has acknowledged, there are just 45 inspectors in the WRC. Again, another recommendation from this committee a couple of years ago was to ensure that the WRC was properly resourced but, to be frank, it is absolutely not properly resourced. We will probably find there are more dog wardens in the country than WRC...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Employment Permits (Consolidation and Amendment) Bill 2019 (16 Feb 2021)

Paul Gavan: I thank Ms Ward because it is within the Department's-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Employment Permits (Consolidation and Amendment) Bill 2019 (16 Feb 2021)

Paul Gavan: I thank Ms Ward for her patience. I wish to ask her about the various sectors where the work permits operate. Let us go back to the meat industry again. Does the Department take into account the profitability of the sector before granting work permits?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Employment Permits (Consolidation and Amendment) Bill 2019 (16 Feb 2021)

Paul Gavan: That is no problem. I will repeat the question. Does the Department take into account the profitability of a particular sector before it agrees to introduce work permits? I mention the meat industry because we know, for example, that the biggest company in the industry had a turnover of €2.3 billion in 2019 and the second biggest company had a turnover of €2.2 billion. This...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Employment Permits (Consolidation and Amendment) Bill 2019 (16 Feb 2021)

Paul Gavan: I appreciate that answer but I seek clarity on one aspect. What I asked was whether the Department examines the profitability of firms. It is well known that these factories are hugely profitable. In fact, their profits are often hidden offshore. Does the Department gather data on the profitability of these firms before sanctioning work permits because my concern is pretty simple; it is...