Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Ba mhaith liom aitheantas a thabhairt do na focail deasa ó mo chairde i bPáirtí Shinn Féin trasna uainn. I would like to acknowledge the kind words of my colleagues and very good friends on the Sinn Féin Seanad team. I thank them for their support and solidarity in recent times, as I do all colleagues and the staff of the Seanad office and the Houses. I look forward to working with them on issues of mutual concern.

An issue of concern about which Senator Gavan has been banging on for a long time is in regard to the rights of hospitality workers. We are heading into the Christmas party season, as one can see from the activity in hostelries in most towns. I ask people to spare a thought for the staff in those hostelries, restaurants and so on, many of whom are working in circumstances that are not good enough. Some are not being afforded their rights as employees. A group we put together in respect of the hospitality industry in Galway and which recently carried out a survey in respect of this matter had a very good meeting with the Galway Chamber of Commerce yesterday. We intend to try to promote best practice in the Galway area and explore setting up an award for restaurants that treat their employees very well. It is hoped that people would then vote with their feet and go to those establishments and spend their money there. We have met the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Ross, to discuss the issue and he was quite supportive. The issue should be debated in the House. However, I must convey my disappointment with the Irish Hotels Federation and the Restaurants Association of Ireland because, to date, they have not engaged with us on the issue of abuse in the hospitality sector. I know the Deputy Leader has connections and a very good working relationship with those groups. She might pass on to them that we are not here to cause trouble but, rather, want to work with them. The nature of the engagement yesterday was a sign that we can turn this into a huge positive by creating a centre of excellence in Ireland whereby tourists will come here because they know workers are being treated well in the places in which those tourists are eating and staying.