David Cullinane (Sinn Fein)

That is the reality. It should stop blaming people for the mess it created and solve the problem. That is what legislators should be doing.

I ask the Leader about a very serious matter, namely, the sit-in by hundreds of workers who worked for Game. It is shameful that in 21st century Ireland a company can shut its doors, not pay its workforce and give them no notice whatsoever. Workers have not received redundancy forms, rather they were sent UK redundancy forms in the post. They are due holiday and sick pay and other entitlements.

Is this company in breach of employment rights legislation? How can a company simply shut its doors? There is a collective agreement of 30 days' notice in place. Is the company not trading in Ireland? Has it gone bust? Has a receiver been appointed? Why is it allowed to do this? It is a very serious issue. We saw what happened with Waterford Crystal, Vita Cortex, La Senza, Lagan Brick and many other companies over the past number of months who have shut their doors and not paid workers their entitlements. It is high time we had a debate in the House on employment rights and the abuse of them in this country.