Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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678. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the actions being taken to prevent workers' rights from being abused across the film industry. [52855/18]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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The Government launched its Audiovisual Action Plan in June 2018. The Joint Oireachtas Committee also published a Report entitled Development and Working Conditions in the Irish Film Industry in July. To implement the recommendations, a high-level Steering group was established with representatives of all Government Departments and State Agencies that have an interest in or involvement with the audiovisual industry. The Committee's Report and the Audiovisual Action Plan have significant overlap and share the objectives of developing the Irish Audiovisual Industry and improving employment within it. The Steering Group will address both the Plan and the Committee Report.

It is important to note that employees in every industry and sector are entitled to all existing legal protections. In addition to existing legislation, the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection has brought forward the Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017 to improve the security and predictability of working hours for employees on insecure contracts and those working variable hours. This legislation responds specifically to the commitment in the Programme for a Partnership Government to address the problems caused by the increased casualisation of work and to strengthen the regulation of precarious work. The Bill is making its way through the Oireachtas at present and it is likely to be passed into law shortly.