John Gerard Hanafin (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State's commitment to support migrant workers. The deliberate mistreatment of such workers is not done in our name and the Government will introduce the necessary legislation to ensure not only that these workers get their fair share but that they have a positive experience in Ireland and receive a céad míle fáilte. The demands placed on the workforce by the expanding economy means migrant workers are needed. They are welcome and they enrich us in many ways. Occasionally, we forget how much Ireland benefits from welcoming people of different nationalities, culture and skills, which make the country wealthier. The skills needed to work in the tourism or mushroom picking industries might not be as high as those required by the medical profession and so on but some migrant workers in these industries have greater skills and it was recommended in a recent report that they should be allowed to use their skills for the benefit of the country so that we can continue to develop.

The sign, "No Irish Need Apply", still lingers in the memory and while it is not comfortable to recall such signs, it is good to recall that the Irish were not always welcome abroad, yet they enriched the countries to which they emigrated, particularly the United States. Approximately 44 million people in the US are of Irish descent while in the UK one in seven people is of Irish descent and 30% of the Australian population is of Irish descent. They are an intrinsic part of these communities. We must also be open and the Government is absolutely committed in this regard.

The Irish experience of the vast majority of migrant workers is positive. I take pride in the efforts of their Irish co-workers to ensure they return home with a positive experience of Ireland. However, we can also benefit and we should concentrate on this. The workers in Gama have become an important reference point for all of us. The Government is totally committed to them to ensure their full rights are vindicated.

Ireland was a country of net emigration for many years but it has become a country of net immigration. We are coping with this challenge and working positively to ensure migrant workers who are entitled to the minimum wage of €7.65 per hour, which will be introduced in May, receive it and, more important, to ensure they can develop their skills and lives. I await with interest the proposals to ensure migrant workers have security of tenure during their stay in Ireland. The Government has introduced a number of initiatives, including the appointment of 11 additional labour inspectors, and it is committed to ensuring migrant workers have a fair and positive experience of Ireland.