Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I will be clear because the history of this is important. One of the key aims of the original directive was that the EU Council would push for a position in which workers would be legally presumed to be employed. That position was watered down and the Government supported the watering down. That is the key point I am making.

On the determination of whether someone is self-employed or employed, it is frankly not adequate. The evidence that it is not adequate can be seen on our high streets on any given evening. I will ask the Minister of State a straightforward question. Does he accept there is exploitation happening in this sector? I also note that, as of recently, his Department has had six meetings with employer groups as opposed to two meetings with trade unions. Again, the Minister of State may wish to comment on that.

My key point is that, right now, these young workers are being failed. They are being exploited in a most horrendous manner, and almost four years into its term, the Government has done nothing about it. It could look at the Spanish model or the New York model, which applies a minimum fee on all deliveries. That is what it could have done, and I urge it to do so. These workers cannot wait any longer for protections; they need them now.