Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)

I thank Senators Mullins, Harte and Quinn for their support on this. Senator Harte probably hit the right note. Especially in this time where there is uncertainty, inevitably, there will be temporary hiring, work building up and people not knowing whether it will be sustainable. We need the flexibility for agency working as a form of employment, but equally we need to ensure those taken on in that capacity are treated fairly. This is trying to strike the balance between having the flexibility but also having the fairness.

Senator Harte is probably right that, increasingly with nature of the speed of technological change, people will go through different types of employment through their working lives and there will inevitably be different models developed. As we develop that necessary flexibility, we need to also ensure there is a balance in terms of treating people fairly and allowing them, for example, to plan for mortgages or whatever. We need to establish a fair basis for that. That is what the directive seeks to do.