Annie Hoey (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I will not go on too long because I agree with what has already been said. It is nice that we are all on the same side. Government Senators are welcome on this side of the House any time if they want to join us and agree about things.

This is the second time today I have risen to talk about workers' rights. My thoughts on the industry are no secret. It is a nasty and disgusting industry, and good riddance to it, quite frankly. I will say the two weeks' statutory redundancy is a pittance. We on this side of the House have often railed against two weeks' statutory redundancy in other sectors so we must do the same in this case. It is a real pity that this section has been watered down from what it could have been, particularly with regard to the workers. What the State is offering them as compensation, if you will, for losing their jobs is not enough.

This Bill is about fur farming but there was initially a bit of stuff about forestry tacked onto it. It seems a little wild that an amendment about animal welfare was subsequently ruled out of order in a Bill that includes "animal health and welfare" in its title. It is a pity that amendment was ruled out of order, given it seems it should fit in with the Bill.