Susan O'Keeffe (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I support my colleague, Senator Hayden, in her call for a debate on the matter of the Brexit. It is a serious matter and we should discuss it in the House.

I also welcome Ireland's signing of the Istanbul convention on domestic violence. Domestic violence has been the poor relation of crime for far too long, but this is a step in the right direction and a sign that the Government is concerned about domestic violence. We await the domestic violence and victims of crime Bill to confirm these steps in the right direction. It will take much training, time and resources and a change in culture relating to domestic violence for it to become a crime far less prevalent than it is today.

I again raise the matter of undocumented migrant workers in the fishing industry in Ireland. Before proceeding, I should make it clear that I am one of the people who is not saying that everybody involved with the fishing industry employs undocumented or migrant people. That is not the case and it is not the argument offered by The Guardian. It is not the truth of the matter because there are many fine and hard-working people in the fishing industry. Where people who are undocumented and migrant workers have been employed and where they have been deceived, controlled or exploited, there is a matter of grave concern to the fishing industry. People who have consented to come to work in Ireland find themselves in the very awkward position of being told they have not been trafficked, because if they have consented, it appears they have not been trafficked. These people need to be assessed by senior members of the Garda to find out if they have been exploited, controlled or deceived. That is one of the contradictions at the heart of this matter. We should discuss whether people are being asked if they have documents, if they are in the country in a proper fashion or whether they have been deceived in their right to come here. We should debate this in the Seanad, perhaps with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Coveney, or the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Bruton, as it is a cross-departmental issue.

Demie Omal from the Philippines is a very ill man and his case would break one's heart. He is now in a position where he has been exploited but what knowledge did the various Departments and State agencies have of his case? We need to discuss that. Does the Garda north Atlantic maritime project still exist and is it still working on the matter? Does Bord Iascaigh Mhara offer training to migrant workers without checking whether they have their papers, whether they are here officially and if they are being treated properly? There are many matters we need to raise. It is the responsibility of either the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Coveney, or the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Bruton, and perhaps the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Fitzgerald, could be brought in afterwards. It is not a matter we should ignore. If a small number of migrant workers are being trafficked, it could lead to further people being trafficked, as has happened in our nearest neighbours in Scotland and England.