Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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166. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on reports of the deaths of 450 migrant workers from India in Qatar in 2012 and 2013; his further views regarding Qatar's hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup; the bilateral contacts Ireland has with Qatar; if he will express concern and protest about the deaths of these persons to Qatar, FIFA and the UN; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9079/14]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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I am very concerned regarding reports of abuses of migrant workers’ rights in Qatar, and strongly deplore any such abuses. Qatar has the highest ratio of migrants to citizens in the world; nearly 88 per cent of the total population are foreign workers, employed largely in construction, services and domestic work. The presence of large numbers of migrant workers in the Gulf area, especially in construction, is of course a long-standing phenomenon and does not relate solely to the World Cup.

In November 2013, following an eight day investigative visit to the Emirate, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, François Crépeau, urged the Qatari authorities to ensure that its labour laws are reformed so that migrants are granted the right to form and join trade unions, have access to proper grievance procedures, and are granted a minimum wage. He also called on the Government to review the foreign worker sponsorship system (Kafala) which has been linked to migrant workers’ abuse. Under the system, expatriate employees are barred from changing jobs or leaving the country without their sponsor’s permission. Mr. Crépeau welcomed some positive legislative developments in the area such as the provision which makes it illegal for sponsors to confiscate passports, and called for effective enforcement of the law.

I fully support the findings of Mr. Crépeau and call on the Qatari Government to continue to cooperate with his office and the UN International Labour Organisation and to implement their recommendations in order to improve the situation of migrant workers and their families in the country. I believe it is critical that Qatar proves it is making real efforts to improve the protection of the rights of all workers, including construction workers, ahead of the FIFA World Cup scheduled for 2022. In this regard, I welcome FIFA’s promises to demand high standards of workers’ rights and its recent request for a detailed report on improvements implemented following FIFA President Sepp Blatter’s visit to the Emirate last November.

In relation to the specific issue of the deaths of 455 Indians in Qatar over the course of 2012 and 2013, as recently published by the Indian Embassy in Doha, it should be noted that, according to reports, a spokesman for the Indian Foreign Ministry has stated that the ‘overwhelming number’ of these deaths were due to natural causes. There are approximately 500,000 Indians living in the Emirate. The Indian authorities have stated that the number of Indian deaths in the last five years have remained consistent and are not attributable to any one cause. The Qatar National Human Rights Committee has called on the Indian Embassy to provide further details on the circumstances of the deaths and I would support this. My officials will continue to closely monitor the issue.

More broadly, the promotion and protection of migrant workers rights throughout the world, including in Qatar, will remain a priority for Ireland. My Department will avail of every appropriate opportunity to raise the issue both bilaterally, through the Irish Embassy in Abu Dhabi which is also accredited to Qatar, and through relevant multilateral channels, including through the UN and EU human rights mechanisms.