Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Ní bheidh mé ar fáil tarraingt isteach sa díospóireacht sin ag an bpointe sin mar tá rud éigin eile le rá agam. We were to debate an issue on the Commencement. I appreciate there was a difficulty with that and I accept the Cathaoirleach's apology and that the situation was unavoidable. I met some of the workers, known as the sleepover workers, who work for agencies that get section 39 funding from the HSE in organisations such as Galway Simon, COPE, etc. Up to 2014 these workers were subject to a Labour Court ruling that acknowledged that the time they spent on those sleepovers in the work environment are to be acknowledged as working time, that they should be paid at the minimum wage and that was to be implemented across the sector.I understand the HSE pays its staff who do similar work but that the agencies did not because they did not have the funding through the HSE. There has been a subsequent increase to the minimum wage. At the time and to the present day, those workers still only get €4.50 an hour for their night shifts. Some of those shifts can be up to 17 hours long. It is totally and utterly unacceptable. I understand that in the organisations in Galway alone there may be over 120 or 130 people affected. These people, as they said to me yesterday, are the real front-line workers in this scenario. They are working with people who have severe addiction, alcohol and mental health issues. They are keeping them off the streets. They are keeping them alive in many cases. They have been very patient. They are not the type of people who want to go out on strike because they know if they do lives will be put in jeopardy. They have been balloted by their union, IMPACT, for industrial action and I support that call. The issue we need to raise with the Minister is whether the Government accepts the Labour Court recommendation? Will it direct the HSE to make the moneys available to these agencies so they can support these workers?

In light of us not being able to have the debate today, will the Acting Leader contact the relevant Minister of State's office? I understand she is amendable. She was here earlier and had a written statement prepared which she might make available to us so we can try to move the issue on.