Brendan Daly (Fianna Fail)

I support the issue raised by Senator Terry as regards the non-payment of their statutory contributions by certain employers. I believe a small number of employers flout the law in this regard. I am a former Minister of State in the Department of Labour. There is a raft of legislation dealing with labour affairs in general. It is not so long since construction workers had to march on the streets to ensure safety regulations were applied to sites. This is a further indication of the neglect of this important section of the community. Construction workers have made a major contribution to our economic performance in the last few years. To get an idea of how active the sector is in this city one just has to look out the window. It is only fair that construction workers get their entitlements. It will create an enormous problem in a few years if not summarily dealt with. I ask the Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Fahey, who is responsible for labour affairs, to get involved so we can find out why the law is not being enforced.