James Bannon (Fine Gael)

With regard to this debate, it is important we ensure that work contracts with local authorities and other public bodies such as the health service, etc., meet minimum labour standards. Recently, a company employer on the power station in Lanesboro treated some of his workers very shabbily. I hope such incidents never happen again and it is up to the Government to ensure they do not.

I support the temporary workers agency directive. We must also extend equality legislation to cover people in domestic service, particularly home helps who provide valuable support to our sick and elderly. I raised this issue on numerous occasions in our previous session. Home helps looking after our sick and elderly must get status in the workforce. There are no regulations in place for the valuable work they do.

We need to reform the existing work permits system so that we have a green card system which does not bind workers to a particular job. It is important we gather better data on labour market conditions in order to measure accurately the extent of displacement and wage degradation. The Government has been negligent in the area of FÁS schemes and has been all talk and no action. It has a stop-go attitude. People are taken on for one or two years and then midway through training they may be let go without any hope of employment. There must be more flexibility in this area.

I compliment the fire services throughout the midlands for the excellent job they did during the crisis at Edgeworthstown. I support this Labour Party motion and hope the Minister takes note of and acts on it.