Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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Question 414: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if, further to data received from Gama Construction and Gama Endustri concerning wages paid to their Turkish workers employed here, he has been informed of the number of workers who had accounts in their name in Finansbank Holland in Amsterdam and the total; if all of their workers have been informed of the accounts in their names; if he has been given a list including the amount of funds in each worker's name; if all of the workers have been enabled to access the funds in these accounts and to dispose freely of them; the total amount of the funds paid into the workers' accounts in Finansbank Holland since the opening of these accounts in 2002; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14631/06]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Arising from concern that all Turkish workers would have access to the money that had been transferred to their bank accounts in Finansbank in Amsterdam, I and officials of the Department met with senior management from Gama Turkey and Gama Ireland, the legal advisers to Gama Turkey and a human resources consultant, retained by Gama. At that meeting, I was assured by these senior managers, their legal adviser and the human resources consultant that all Gama workers in Ireland, past and present, would have full access to the money that had been transferred to their bank accounts in Finansbank.

I contacted the president of Finansbank. The president assured me that, provided the consent of the workers was forthcoming, his bank would co-operate in ensuring that the Department's officials would have sight of relevant bank records in his bank, so that they could be satisfied that all workers would have access to the money in their bank accounts. Officials from my Department travelled to Finansbank on 14 April 2005. Following these meetings and contacts which my officials had with SIPTU and the Deputy, I am satisfied that a substantial number of Turkish workers, who were in Ireland around last April, received value for the funds that had been transferred to their personal bank accounts in Finansbank.

The Department wrote to Gama Turkey's legal advisers on 29 April 2005 seeking certain details on each current and former Gama employee, including the money transferred to Finansbank and the money transferred from Finansbank to their personal bank account in Isbank in Turkey. Despite reminders to Gama Turkey's legal advisers and engagement with an intermediary engaged by Gama, this information was not supplied at the time. Some weeks ago a substantial volume of data was presented by Gama to the Department and was examined by my officials. The information supplied was not sufficient to enable me to assure the Deputy that all Gama workers in Ireland, both past and present, have received value for the amounts that were transferred into their personal accounts in Finansbank.

The Department has advised Gama by letter dated 4 April 2006 that the material recently supplied does not enable the establishment of the factual position relating to the workers about whom I am concerned. Gama has been asked again to supply the missing information.