Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It has been an awful week. Like all of my colleagues, I extend our sympathies to the families of the crew of Helicopter Rescue 116, to the family of Ryan McBride, to the Haughey family and, of course, to the family of our comrade Martin McGuinness. I will speak on Martin later and I appreciate the time given by the Leader in that respect.

I acknowledge the tremendous victory of the SIPTU members, to which my colleague, Senator Bacik alluded. It was a 21-month campaign, a campaign by a fighting union, and I want to pay tribute to my colleague Ms Ethel Buckley, in particular, who is head of SIPTU's services division. She gave a commitment at the last SIPTU conference that the union would never give up on the Clerys workers and it has been as good as its word. It is a good day for working people to get that settlement.

Finally, I propose that leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to amend the National Minimum Wage Act 2000 to provide for additional protections for employees in the service sector to ensure they receive tips or gratuities paid by customers and to provide for related matters. This Bill is No. 16 on the Supplementary Order Paper and I move that it be taken in Private Members' time.