Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is something that can be improved and will be improved. We will be able to do that with co-operation from employer groups as well as employee groups.

I take up a point made by Senator McGahon about the fact that we have more Irish people coming home to work than we have emigrating. A certain representative made a contribution in the Dáil today. I will not name them or their party, because it is not a political point I want to make. They talked about the thousands of Irish people fleeing to Australia. They are not fleeing to Australia. When I left college 90% of my friends had no choice but to up and go to Australia, Canada or London because there were no jobs or livelihoods here. We now have a situation where, as Senator McGahon pointed out, there are 2.7 million people at work in Ireland. We have more people working in the State than the State had as a population in the 1950s. The average industrial wage will again go up by €2,000 this year. The salaries in the areas where we most need skilled workers are going up. Not only is the minimum wage going up, but we have really impactful sectoral employment agreements in place for the construction sector. The lowest salary in construction at the moment is €19.45 per hour. The average annual salary in the construction sector is more than €50,000. These are good and well paying jobs.

My final point relates to seasonal work permits, something raised by a number of senators including Senators Crowe and Gavan. Senator Crowe pointed out that we are the last EU member state to embrace seasonal work permits. I know there is ideological opposition to them, but I think they will be a vital part of future proofing our economy. They are nothing new. My ancestors used to go back and forth from County Cavan to Scotland centuries ago, following potato picking season. It is something as old as time. It is the migration of workers to go to earn a good salary and come home to provide a living for those at home. However, I assure people that by introducing this, and introducing a new scheme, it will be done in a robust manner. This will be of great benefit for many sectors in the economy. I initially want to lay our the detail. We might go into more detail when amendments are tabled and we get onto Report Stage. There was an element of this discussion in the Dáil. I was not around when it was discussed on Committee Stage.

In terms of what we want to operate, we are looking at where other EU member states and similar likeminded countries perhaps have not got this right. We want to avoid their mistakes. We initially intend to introduce a very narrow pilot scheme, solely in the horticultural sector and giving out no more than a couple of hundred seasonal work permits. That is just in the horticultural sector, because that is where there is a clear need and clear season. Let us be frank, if you have somebody working at picking a particular crop who has the skills to pick, package and process that crop, that is not a 12-month job. Picking season is a certain period of the year and we will look to issue a work permit for perhaps between three and four months of that period. We will make sure, first, that the employers eligible to apply for these permits are registered employers. They have to be trusted employers. Any breaches in terms of conditions, as discussed earlier with Senator Gavan, will see that employer taken off and they will be ineligible to apply again for seasonal work permits. You have to treat the workers the right way. Salaries will be set in a strong manner. Again, it is not about cheap labour. It is about filling a gap and a need. Private health insurance will need to be provided. Accommodation of a certain standard will need to be provided. We will ensure workers are coming to a situation where it will be a choice for some people on a multiannual basis to come to Ireland for a three to four month period. They will play a very important role in our economic development and in a really important sector. That is primarily the agrifood production sector, but it could also work in hospitality and many other areas in due course. They play a vital role for our communities and society by making sure our crops are picked and the food is put into our supermarkets and onto our plates, feeding the next generation and so much more. That is something they will want to come back to. It will become a tradition that they will come every year for three months, earn a really good salary they can then bring home to their own country to support their family, perhaps invest in a business of their own or support their own farming following different seasons.

We want to do this in an equitable way. We want to do this in a fair way. We want to do this in a way that will benefit employer and employee alike. It is a fundamental change to our work permit system that will be good both for worker and employer. The other area touched on is transferability. We worked closely with the Migrant Rights Council of Ireland on this to get a system that will work well, to make sure that when someone makes the decision to come to Ireland to pursue a career that their rights are still protected, and are treated as well as any other worker from within the European Economic Area who comes to work here.

I am grateful to all Senators for their participation in the debate this evening. I look forward to further debate on the remaining Seanad Stages. I look forward to engaging and ultimately seeing this legislation passed as quickly as possible to, first and foremost, give workers the ability to transfer quickly, and to give employers the ability to advertise in a more modern way. I do not know anyone who gets a job through a physical newspaper anymore. It is all about online advertising, and ultimately to bring in a seasonal work permit system that will be good for both employer and employee alike.