Martin Conway (Fine Gael)

I too was disturbed at the reports in recent days about Irish involvement in the slavery that has allegedly taken place across the water. I am very disturbed to think that Irish people were involved in that, given our history and given the way Irish people have been treated when they have gone abroad to work over the years, and the difficult terrain they had to go through to make a living. It is desperate. However, I was even more shocked to read about an Indian takeaway in Clondalkin paying somebody 51 cent an hour, for 77 hours a week, with one day off in the year. We have inspectors who go into restaurants to make sure that the toilets are clean, the floors are clean and that checklists are met. How could this have happened here?

I call on the Leader to ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence and other relevant Ministers to set up some sort of inspectorate system to check out other such establishments across the country. They must make sure that this type of slavery, which everyone abhors, is not going on. It is appalling in 2011 to think that such behaviour could occur here. It should be rooted out. The Leader should bring this urgently to the attention of the Minister.