Kathleen O'Meara (Labour)

I ask the Leader to arrange a debate on issues relating to the labour force, particularly migrant workers, because of the anecdotal evidence about their treatment and the wage rates paid to them. We need to know if there is evidence of exploitation or if migrant workers are being used to push down average wage rates in this country and to displace Irish workers. If that is the case, it is a very serious matter. This issue is regularly raised with me and I am concerned about it. We need to pay urgent attention to this matter because of the implications not only for migrant workers and Irish workers, but also for its potential to create a degree of social unrest. I ask the Leader to give this urgent attention.

We are coming up to the budget and many in this House, myself included, have worked to ensure that the issue of child care was brought to the top of the Government's agenda. We await with great anticipation announcements next week in regard to this issue. It is important that we debate the budget. However, considering the work we have already done, including the Leader, to put child care on the agenda, we should have a separate debate following the budget on where we are now and where we are going in the future as regards child care.