Ivana Bacik (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Leader for organising statements today on the result of the UK referendum on EU membership. The result not only is deeply disappointing but represents a seismic shock in terms of its political and economic fallout, which is being felt on this island, in the UK and across the European Union. I look forward to participating this afternoon.

I thank the Leader for ensuring the restoration of the Competition (Amendment) Bill to the Order Paper and Senator Alice-Mary Higgins for her kind words about the Bill. This Bill was introduced in Private Members' time by the Labour Party group of Senators in January and it passed Second Stage with Government approval. The aim of the Bill is to provide for collective bargaining rights for freelance workers, particularly actors, journalists and so on, who are working freelance and are currently denied collective bargaining rights due to a particularly rigid application of the Competition Act. This Bill provides a simple amendment to that Act to ensure they have collective bargaining rights. It was warmly welcomed in January by SIPTU, the NUJ and Equity, among others, and I hope it will pass through Committee Stage when we take it in Labour Party Private Members' time next Wednesday. I ask colleagues across the floor of this House for their support for this Bill.

I join with Senator Higgins in welcoming the report on gender in third level institutions and I look forward to debating that. I commend the huge work of Micheline Sheehy Skeffington in this area.