Results 4,561-4,580 of 6,944 for speaker:Michael McNamara

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)

Michael McNamara: I welcome Mr. Philip Carroll, chairman, Mr. Cormac Healy, senior director, and Mr. Joe Ryan, director, Meat Industry Ireland, who are seated in committee room 1. I thank them for coming here on a Friday afternoon. I wish to advise the witnesses that by virtue of section 17(2)(l) of the Defamation Act 2009, witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect of their evidence to the...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)

Michael McNamara: I thank Mr. Carroll.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)

Michael McNamara: I ask Mr. Carroll to conclude his opening remarks.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)

Michael McNamara: I thank Mr. Carroll. I am going to open to the floor.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)

Michael McNamara: No. I have asked Mr. Carroll to limit himself to five minutes, as I have asked every other speaker who has been before the committee. He has now taken eight. I am going to open the floor to members to allow for questions and answers. I thank Mr. Carroll very much. His opening statement has been circulated in advance.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)

Michael McNamara: As a follow-up, we have received a submission from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine on this matter. It states "The Department’s responsibility at slaughterhouses and processing plants is primarily to ensure that such establishments operate in compliance with food hygiene legislation and focus on ... ante and post-mortem inspection service ... sampling for BSE ..."....

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)

Michael McNamara: I have one quick follow-up question. Do the rights workers have in the event they are sick typically include sick pay as part of their contracts?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)

Michael McNamara: No. My question was, do they have sick pay?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)

Michael McNamara: Within the meat industry, would Mr. Healy say the majority of its members or the majority of plants pay sick pay?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)

Michael McNamara: I will ask the same question a third time. Do the majority of Meat Industry Ireland's members and the majority of plants represented by Meat Industry Ireland pay sick pay?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)

Michael McNamara: That was the third time I asked the question and the third time Mr. Healy said that some do and some do not. I asked whether the majority do so but I will move on if he does not want to answer the question.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)

Michael McNamara: I ask Deputy Smith to be brief, because we are way over time.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)

Michael McNamara: Deputy Carroll MacNeill has given Deputy Cairns five minutes of her time. I call Deputy Cairns, who has ten minutes.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)

Michael McNamara: I have discussed this with Deputy Cairns before. I am also a beef farmer and I do not think that is a conflict of interest for either of us. Inevitably, beef farmers have relatively few places to sell their product, other than to members of Meat Industry Ireland.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)

Michael McNamara: I thank Deputy Cairns. If there is time at the end I will invite speakers to come in again. I call Deputy Bríd Smith from Solidarity-People Before Profit.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)

Michael McNamara: Sorry, allow them to respond, please.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)

Michael McNamara: We are nearly out of time but do the representatives want to avail of the opportunity to answer the Deputy's question about sick pay?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)

Michael McNamara: Some do and some do not.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)

Michael McNamara: I believe members are asking because a lack of sick pay would incentivise workers to take paracetamol given they are on low pay and, if they are not entitled to sick pay, desperate to get to work. It was suggested in a previous session that workers may take paracetamol to lower their temperature because they are in such a precarious position that they feel they have no alternative but to do...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)

Michael McNamara: In fairness, we are talking about meat plant workers, although I accept that the farming issue is important.