Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I wish a happy Christmas to the Cathaoirleach and the staff, in particular Mr. Groves and Ms Doody, for looking after us superbly during a challenging year. Their patience and generosity is appreciated.

It is good that we finished on a good point yesterday with the debate on Senator Higgins's TRIPS waiver motion. Credit is deserved across the Chamber for all of the contributions that were made. I hope the Government acts on the motion. Seeing action and a change in direction is the most important element. I hope that the Government will listen to the House's call.

I was not going to say much more until I got a call this morning from my colleague, Councillor Denis Hynes, in Kilkenny. He told me a harrowing story. There is a Pakistani national - I will not name him - who is homeless on the streets of Kilkenny this evening. He was trafficked into the country to work for a prominent horse industry - I will not name it - where he worked seven days per week for €300. After 15 days of work, he would get one day off. When he broke his ribs in the course of his work, he was treated by a vet. He has put in his papers over being human trafficked. He was afraid to do so for many weeks because his family in Pakistan were being threatened by the traffickers. Of the €300 per week, he was paying half of it back to the traffickers every month for the promise of a visa. He has been through hell. The worst part of it as we approach Christmas is that Kilkenny County Council has refused to do anything for him. The homeless emergency services are saying that, because he does not have a PPS number, they will not help him. He is facing Christmas on the streets of Kilkenny. The lack of humanity is horrendous and shocking.

Will the Acting Leader be kind enough to write a letter to Kilkenny County Council - I will supply him with the details afterwards - and make not a political request, but a humanitarian one to look after this man as we approach Christmas and ensure that he is not left out on the streets after the living hell he has been put through for the past two years? I will be writing to the council as well. This case gives just a small insight into the horrors of human trafficking that have been swept under the carpet in this State for too long. When this story comes to the public's attention, the details will be shocking and have particular reverberations for the horse industry.