Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. He mentioned his constituency of Kildare South, which I know well. He is very welcome to the House. He is the obvious person to be responding to this matter. It will not be a difficult task for him because it falls obviously within the competence of the his commitments in agriculture. That is what this issue is about. I was surprised that a Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine dealt with all the other Commencement matters, which were not related to agriculture. That is part of our precarious Commencement matter situation.

What am I asking? I do not expect the Minister of State to read out the statement he has been given in any great detail. I understand he knows the situation. It is a matter of flagging some key issues and two or three simple points that he might address. I would be more than happy with that. I am inviting comment on how we are strengthening the rights of seasonal workers and introducing strict limits on the deductions that can be taken from employers and seasonal workers in agriculture and horticulture sectors. I am thinking of deductions for food, lodgings and transport. I am thinking in particular of the agricultural, meat-packing, horticultural and food sectors. We have seen a lot of controversy around non-nationals being flown in by employers to do berry-picking and seasonal work, the challenges around accommodation and the friction within more traditional and settled communities that are challenged by some of these issues. The Minister of State knows that seasonal workers are critical to agriculture and horticulture in the role they play in harvesting, planting, packing and other related issues around all of that. It is a big issue.

The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Coveney, indicated he was going to raise this matter at Cabinet. That is a matter for him but is on the record because he said it on RTÉ the other day.

The other issue I will raise in the context of this debate is the minimum wage. We know it was increased by 80 cent on 1 January 2023 so it is now €11.30. That is not a lot of money to live on in these times. The Irish Congress of Trade Unions, ICTU, has called for an increase to the national minimum wage, particularly for low income workers in industries such as agriculture and horticulture. It has called for a €2 increase in January 2024 and a further €2 increase in January 2025. I raise that matter in the context of a lot of kite-flying around reductions in tax. Of course, I favour reductions in tax. I favour enterprise, encouraging people and rewarding them for hard work. However, I am also conscious of the background. Members on both sides of the Seanad raise issues about health, workers and cancer treatment every day. It is about resources. I do not want to divert from the issue but we can say that low-paid workers earning the minimum wage in the agriculture and horticulture industries are hurting disproportionately as a result of the cost-of-living crisis. The Minister of State knows that and it is an important point to make.

I will touch on another matter. A Labour Party county councillor, Councillor Niall McNelis, has been reported in the media this morning suggesting we look at the waiting time for asylum seekers in this country and the possibility of allowing them to engage in some sort of work. He is right. It is inhumane and unnecessary that asylum seekers or people in the process are not allowed to participate in essential work that is needed.

I spoke to a number of the agricultural representative bodies last night about the engagement the Taoiseach had with them yesterday. I was told it was meaningful and a number of issues were covered that the Minister of State is privy to and knows about. One of those was the ongoing concern about the challenges in respect of getting seasonal workers for agriculture and horticulture. I appreciate the Minister of State has come to the issue late but he has considerable knowledge in the area. I would appreciate it if he would touch on one or two of the points I have made. I thank him for taking this Commencement matter.