Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

That is exactly right. If I could reassure the Senator of one thing, it is that there is no complacency in the Government when it comes to making sure the appropriate safeguards are in place. We see the benefit for business. We see the benefit of seasonable workers for our economy. That flexibility is there in our permit system. However, that will not be at the cost of the rights of the workers. If anything, we will strengthen those rights even further.

The Department has recently held a consultation with stakeholders to get feedback on the introduction of the seasonal employment permit and the general transferability of most employment permits. That is the key; if they are transferable, it empowers the employee. It takes the power away from an employer that might have bad intentions. All points received were carefully considered when finalising the amendments to seasonal employment permits.

I would like to reiterate that all employment permit holders in Ireland have the exact same labour rights as other employees in the State under Irish law. It is important to put that on the record. The additional rights that are provided within the framework for the seasonal employment permit will go further to ensure that the potential for abuse of this type of scheme, as observed in other jurisdictions, is significantly mitigated. Furthermore, the analysis of the pilot scheme will provide another safeguard and opportunity to further fine-tune the scheme prior to the roll-out. This will ensure we can have an appropriate seasonal scheme that works for business, works for the workers who come here and is good overall for our society and our economy.