Rose Conway-Walsh
Mayo · Sinn Féin · Ireland
“The very open nature of the Irish economy and over-reliance on FDI and a small number of large US firms exposes an economic vulnerability that covers an underlying deficit of €13 billion. With an all-island approach, we can tackle that properly.”
“An all-island development agency is critical to this prosperity. Competing for investment from multinational companies, based on five interlinked pillars of growth, transformational regions, sustainability and impact as promoted by the IDA is necessary to compete on a global stage.”
“I would need much longer than three minutes to discuss the fiscal implications of a united Ireland, such is the depth and breadth of the work already done. I commend all of those who have done it. Leaving all politics aside, the economic benefits of reunification present unprecedented opportunities for sustainable growth.”
“This morning, workers at Aer Lingus woke up to the devastating news that up to 500 jobs will be cut at the airline, impacting both staff at head office and flight crews. By all measures, Aer Lingus is a profitable company, reporting operating profits of €282 million in 2025. Its parent company, IAG, has operating profits of €5 billion.”
“We need to encourage student mobility across the island. I ask the shared island unit to intervene to provide funding for students from here going to Queen's University and Ulster University. Regarding the data, the NI Executive should work with the ONS, HMRC and the NISRA to improve the data on tax receipts in the North.”
“Will the Government meet representatives of the unions, the Irish Air Line Pilots Association, IALPA, Fórsa and other unions, to ensure that impacted workers receive full and fair redundancy packages and that we have full transparency, while also committing to wider statutory redundancy reforms?”
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“What is it afraid of in extending the franchise? A citizen must mean a citizen. Being an Irish citizen must mean more than being entitled to hold an Irish passport. It brings with it implicit rights, or it should do, and one of those rights should be enabling Irish citizens in the North to vote for their own President. It is lunacy to think that you can be President but you cannot vote for yourself. We are making fools of ourselves globally that we cannot do that in this day and age. It is time for action. We need presidential voting rights for Irish citizens in the North and for the Irish diaspora.”
“One hundred and forty-one countries enable their diaspora to vote. People living in my constituency and members of my own family can vote in the presidential elections. It is mind-boggling that Irish citizens in the North and our international diaspora cannot vote in presidential elections. The Minister of State said this will be looked at and that there is so much we agree on. We have to stop commentating on this and put it right. It is plainly wrong that we have not enacted it so far. President Higgins rightly cited the Irish diaspora as one of the greatest resources. In Global Ireland - Ireland’s Diaspora Strategy 2020-2025, the Government commits to holding a referendum on the extension of the franchise. We are almost at the end of 2025, so where is that referendum? The question that people ask me is what the Government is afraid of.”
“I support the calls for a Covid inquiry because it is the same healthcare workers who came face to face with the situation in nursing homes during the pandemic. We are still paying them the minimum wage or a little above. That is disgraceful.”
“It is no good Members opposite coming in here and commentating on the situation we are in when it was man-made by the Government. Community nursing homes and small, family-run nursing homes, and their staff, must be supported. Healthcare workers, nurses and other staff are too often faced with impossible situations that are not of their making. They do not make the decisions that lead to the lack of the most basic things required for human dignity, including pads, blankets and being taken to the bathroom, never mind provision of stimulation and joyful activities. Safe staffing levels should never be optional. Pay and conditions for many of these workers are abysmal for the level of responsibilities they have. Zero-hour contracts and the minimum wage are not conducive to the intensive care that needs to be provided for our most vulnerable.”
“What we have in this State is the profit model of care, which lends itself to large-scale operations driven by profit maximisation, as has been said. We must move away from the overdependence on this model. That is why, in Sinn Féin's alternative budget each year, we allocate investment to providing more public nursing home and community beds. Our provision last year was 1,200 beds. I commend the family-run nursing homes, community nursing homes and the many other facilities, including in my county, which provide excellent care for elderly people in a compassionate and appropriate way. It beggars belief that the Government changed policy in this regard. There is a responsibility on both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael for the model we have. It did not just appear out of nowhere; it was Government policy.”
“The recent “RTÉ Investigates” exposé was shocking and shameful and the sheer lack of compassion and respect shown to the residents in that programme was appalling. We can only imagine the pain they and their families suffered, as well as the worry it has caused to others as a result. I commend RTÉ, although it should not be up to RTÉ to expose these atrocities that are going on. My first question to the Minister is this. What protections are in place to prevent companies that have legal cases against them in other EU member states from operating in our care sector and, indeed, in other care sectors? Was due diligence or anything whatsoever carried out? The failure in this regard is the first thing that is neglectful. These shocking levels of neglect are the logical outworkings of commodification of care.”
“People's food bills have risen significantly. It is vital that the public are reassured that no underhand tactics are at play here. The CCPC must be fully staffed.”
“Many business owners barely have a wage at the end of the week by the time they have paid all of the costs of doing business. This did not begin today or yesterday. Many businesses tell us they are under threat of closure. The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, CCPC, is represented on the forum. I welcome that. The remit of the commission has expanded in recent years, particularly in light of EU legislation aimed at strengthening consumer protections and ensuring fairness in digital and online markets. Is the Minister aware of the high rate of vacancies at the CCPC? As of 9 June 2025, the CCPC had 33 vacancies across various roles. Does he have a plan to recruit these essential staff to ensure consumers are adequately protected and that there is no danger of price gouging in the major supermarkets?”
“Recent media reports suggest that over the past four years, the price of a basket of groceries has risen by approximately 36%, while the consumer price index rose by 21% over the same period. Figures released earlier this month by a grocery data firm show the price of a weekly shop is rising by more than double the general rate of inflation.”
“I am specifically interested in the outcomes from the sector meetings. Can the Minister confirm whether there have been any indications of a reduction in energy prices? The cost of energy is huge for businesses, with many owners telling me their energy costs are greater than their wage bill. We must do something about that. I am also keen to know whether there has been any discussion about the cost savings utility providers have made being passed on to consumers. Working people are being absolutely crucified by the cost of groceries and the cost of living in general. There is a strong perception that the cost of basic groceries has risen by a greater margin than the rise in the consumer price index.”
“I thank Deputy Gibney for accommodating me. I did not have an opportunity before Question Time began to ask her to do so. I am seeking an update on the newly established and hugely important cost of business advisory forum, which met recently for the first time. Costs in general are spiralling, with the cost of energy being one of the major difficulties reported by the SME sector. I am pleased that ESB and EirGrid are members of the forum. Will the Minister confirm whether they have indicated any reductions in the cost of energy?”
“What the Minister is saying is not compatible with what we are hearing from business organisations and what we know, which is that businesses are really struggling right now. They are struggling with energy costs, red tape and so many different things. That must be addressed. It is not right to say everything is okay for businesses, including indigenous businesses.”
“I have huge concerns about both the contents of the proposed legislation and the manner in which it is being introduced. We certainly need simplification but what we do not need is deregulation.”
“I am glad to hear the Minister say that. As he knows, Fine Gael having been in government for 14 years, indigenous businesses have so far been left behind. The figures for foreign direct investment speak for themselves. The Minister talks about competitiveness and he is not wrong in the figures he is putting forward. However, he dismisses the figures relating to the competitiveness of the regions. As the Minister of State, Deputy Dillon, will know, the west and north-west region is in the bottom 7% in terms of competitiveness, according to the EU index. The facts speak for themselves. Yesterday, I participated in a discussion at the enterprise committee regarding the EU Omnibus package. The Draghi report indicated serious competitiveness deficits across the European Union that absolutely need to be addressed.”
“Have all these issues been taken into account in the action plan? It is really important that we have a sustainable plan that will address the cost of living and the cost of doing business as we go forward.”
“I thank the Minister for that update and welcome the work that has been done. What engagement has the Department had with the unions on the action plan? My fear is that workers' rights will be sacrificed on the altar of productivity. We need to be very careful in this space to bring workers and businesses together and ensure that there is not further division and polarisation between them. I am afraid that the threat of international trade tariffs will be used as fig leaf to guillotine employment rights, usher in bad trade deals like CETA and renege on our climate commitments. We all want a strong economy but there must be balance. The business organisations I have engaged with are pointing to the lack of housing, pressures on services and the diabolical cost of living as presenting the biggest threat to business expansion.”
“I thank Deputy Lawlor for facilitating me as I must leave shortly to chair a meeting of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Defence and National Security. I ask the Minister to provide an update on the action plan on competitiveness and productivity. I am aware that the closing date for submissions to the public consultation on the action plan is tomorrow. I ask the Minister to provide information on how many submissions have been received to date and what sort of outreach the Department has done in that area.”
“Back in the 1980s it was women working in Dunnes Stores who took a stand. Again, the Government is way behind the people on this issue. A few weeks ago, the Government refused to support a Sinn Féin Private Members' motion which would have ended the shameful Irish Central Bank's facilitation of the sale of Israeli bonds.”
“I take on board what the Minister is saying but last week a number of organisations, including the Global Legal Action Network, GLAN, and the Ireland Palestine Alliance launched a High Court action challenging the refusal of An Garda Síochána to investigate Airbnb Ireland and its senior executives for alleged activity in Israeli settlements. Surely companies must abide by international law as a prerequisite to operating in this country. What I am seeking from the Minister is an explanation as to why this is being permitted here. It is not good enough that this behaviour is being tolerated. As in the case of apartheid South Africa, economic sanctions undertaken by the international community should be brought to bear on Israel. The Israeli State has flouted international law and this must be challenged in every single possible way.”
“I am sure the Minister is aware of the co-ordinated legal actions which were launched last week in Ireland, Britain and America, targeting the companies I mentioned that are operating in illegal Israeli settlements.”
“As I said, when that UN database was updated in 2023 several companies with offices in Ireland remained on it following the update. It is widely known that these include Airbnb, Booking.com and Tripadvisor. The International Court of Justice ruled in July 2024 that Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories is unlawful, that Israel should put an end to the occupation, desist from creating new settlements and evacuate those already established. It further concluded that where Palestinians have lost land and property, Israel should pay reparations. What is the Government's approach to these companies based in Ireland? That is the premise of my question. Over the last week we have seen the shameful act of piracy against the Madleen aid flotilla and the detention of our colleague, Deputy Paul Murphy.”
“My first question asks the Minister to provide a list of companies operating in Ireland which are trading with linked companies located in the occupied Palestinian territories. In 2020 the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights published a listing of all businesses involved in the illegal Israeli settlements. It was a highly significant development, naming those in the corporate world complicit with the war crime that is Israel's settlement enterprise. That database was set up in 2023.”
“It has been publicly stated on numerous occasions that no one would be disadvantaged by the date at which they entered the scheme. I ask the Tánaiste to tag on this non-consequential amendment to the emergency planning Bill to help people in the process of building their houses to get those completed, get back into their homes and stop having to pay huge rents when there are not rentals available. This is a solution to the situation people are in right now.”
“I ask the Tánaiste to do a practical thing to help families impacted by the defective concrete blocks scandal. I ask him to tag on a non-consequential amendment to the emergency planning Bill to ensure homeowners currently in the process of rebuilding can avail of the updated Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland, SCSI, rates. This will help bridge the gap between the building costs and the grant. It will also help those who are constrained by the cap. The Minister has accepted that the rates needed to be increased to address construction inflation. This is not a policy change I am asking for, so tagging on an amendment to enable updated rates to be applied retrospectively would enable the homeowners to get on with rebuilding their homes and lives.”
“This can be done by lifelong learning, by investment in education and by investment in training, all of those things. The first thing we examine must not always be a cut to wages. I hear it in all kinds of discussion, whether it be around water infrastructure or whatever else, seeing how much more can be got out of people's pockets. This surely has to be about putting some money back into workers' pockets and people's pockets, so that the contribution they are making to society is truly valued.”
“We know that almost a half a million people are behind with their energy bills at present. It is distressing to see that the Government has at this stage ruled out any cost-of-living package in the budget. I ask the Minister to go back to the Minister for Finance and look at where people are in terms of the struggles families face right now to be able to afford to live and to be able to afford to have any quality of living. I always make the point that workers have never worked so hard and yet they have never struggled so much in just trying to make ends meet. Everything connects with everything else and employers need to demonstrate fairness and to have people who are properly paid for the work they do. We need to look at things like increasing productivity.”
“Voters who supported Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are particularly opposed, highlighting a disconnect between Government actions and public expectations. The failure to honour promises has real consequences. It leaves workers more vulnerable, increases poverty and deepens inequality. Instead of supporting fair wages and social protections, the Government is prioritising short-term economic narratives that give handouts to the wealthy and big businesses. I am again calling on the Government to honour its election promises and to stop paying lip service to workers in this State. For the workers we are seeking to protect here and other workers, it is vital to recognise that they are living in a real cost-of-living crisis. The cost of living extends to people trying to be able to afford their groceries and trying to pay their energy bills.”
“The minimum wage for migrant workers on general employment permits is still below market levels and wage increases have been postponed. Additionally, the Government has delayed the raising of the employers' PRSI threshold, which would help to reduce the tax burden on businesses and support workers. Many other social commitments, such as pension reforms, hikes in child benefit and scrapping the means test for carers have been shelved or quietly rolled back. The auto-enrolment pension scheme, which Sinn Féin supports, remains poorly managed and risks increased exposure to market volatility and privatisation. The Government claims economic uncertainty justifies these delays. However, a Red C poll shows that 56% of the public opposes these backtracks, with only 24% supporting the Government's stance.”
“We must ensure that we have workforces that are respected and that their rights upheld in the same way as those of others. That is why collective bargaining is so important. Similarly, the pledge to move forward on a living wage has been stalled. While most EU countries increased their minimum wage significantly last year, Ireland's minimum wage remains well below EU average. This contributes to Ireland's high rate of low pay, with 20% of workers earning below a fair living standard. The Government's reluctance to accelerate wage increases puts further pressure on low-paid workers amid rising living costs. Promises to end discriminatory subminimum youth pay rates and improve migrant workers' wages have also been broken or delayed.”
“The Government has consistently failed to deliver on its promise to improve workers' rights and living standards. Despite its commitment to increase statutory sick pay, raise the minimum wage level and eliminate discriminatory pay practices, many of these promises remain unfulfilled. The Government promised to increase statutory sick pay from five days to seven in 2025 and to ten from 2026. However, it has postponed this increase and left more than 1 million private sector workers without paid sick leave. This delay worsens financial and health hardships for workers and families. When we are in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, I absolutely do not see it as a contest between employers and workers. The greatest asset of any business is its workers.”
“In a case where a worker has died in the 42 years since 1983, is there a possibility for a spouse or other relative to make a claim on their behalf? Has the Department given consideration to this? These are the intricacies that we must be able to stand over and to which the Minister must give attention. The Bill is welcome. I commend the Minister for bringing it this far. However, we have a way to go. Introducing a scheme that should have been introduced years ago does not get the Government off the hook for its failure to deliver on workers' rights. Sinn Féin has long stood with workers in their struggles. We believe legislation must prioritise workers' rights, especially their collective redundancy agreements. Those entitlements always need to be prioritised alongside wages or statutory redundancy payments.”
“Last year, when the pre-legislative scrutiny was ongoing, some Department officials estimated that there might be up to 5,000 historical applications. On that reckoning, it seems the Department thinks the average award would be in the ballpark of €3,000. This is a small sum of money for the Government. For an individual, however, I have no doubt that it would mean a lot. Again, this goes back to the ease of application, which should be commensurate with the level of award allocated. I also want the committee to look at how these historical cases will be assessed and monitored. Is there any way - aside from the advertising campaign - historical applications can be encouraged to ensure all those eligible are able to access the fund?”
“For historical cases, it must be absolutely clear that people know they can still make claims in respect of informal insolvencies that happened as far back as the eighties. While my party is supporting the Bill on Second Stage, I want the committee to look at the media strategy around it. If people are not aware of the entitlement, they may as well not have it. I also hope the committee will examine the Bill in light of the rights and entitlements a worker may have had by way of a collective agreement or enhanced redundancy. Is it the case that it only covers statutory entitlements? On the cost of implementing the legislation, the Department has allocated almost €15 million in respect of the historical element.”
“Will it be the case that a worker will need legal representation or is it the intention that, once it is done, it will be easy and accessible? Will it work through a website? How is it envisaged? Employment issues, by their nature, can be intricate, complicated and individualised. The last thing we want is for people who may have an entitlement to look at the process and think they would rather not engage with it because it is too difficult to do so. This should be something a person can make their way through without incurring the cost of legal representation, which, as the Minister will appreciate, would be a chilling factor for many workers. The more easily accessible and plainer the language is, the better. There must also be a communications and media strategy. This is essential as we want people to be able to access the system.”
“The Protection of Employees (Employers' Insolvency) (Amendment) Bill 2025 delivers several important changes. The expansion of access to the insolvency payment scheme to include employees of employers who ceased trading without formally winding up their business is significant and must be welcomed. I am happy to note the Bill will also provide a new statutory process for employees in this situation to apply to have their employer deemed insolvent and to recover their outstanding moneys from the insolvency payments scheme. Extensive pre-legislative scrutiny was undertaken by the enterprise committee of the previous Dáil. I acknowledge my colleague Deputy O'Reilly for the diligent work done on this Bill to date. I have some remaining concerns regarding the Bill. These relate to the ease of access for people who may wish to make claims.”
“The legislation proposed by the Minister, if enacted, will bring Ireland in step with an EU directive that should have been transposed into domestic law in 1983. While I welcome the fact that it is better late than never that the Government is attempting to provide these protections to Irish workers, I cannot help but wonder how many more workers could have been protected if this legislation had been brought in the eighties, as should have been the case. The Government will say that workers who believe they may have benefited from this legislation can still make claims. Realistically, however, a lot of time has passed since 1983. The Government will know that the proportion of people who might have had unpaid wage claims from, for example, 1985, will be vastly higher than the number who will seek redress now.”
“This is an unrelenting occupation and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people. It is an annihilation that is being livestreamed day after day. It is hard not to feel utterly useless in the face of the onslaught but there are things that we can do. Sinn Féin's war bond Bill will remove the permission provided by the Central Bank for the sale of Israeli bonds across the EU. It is compatible with EU law and Irish law and must be enacted. Some 14,000 babies are close to death from forced starvation. I ask the Government not to besmirch our own history of forced starvation and enact this Bill to prevent Israel using Ireland to raise money for its genocide. Sinn Féin remains steadfast in its support for Palestine. Saoirse don Phailistín.”
“This evening, the Minister stands between €12 billion that has been spent on bombs and bullets to slaughter the people of Gaza. The Minister and the Government can stop that. The horrors and the genocide being visited on the people of Gaza by the State of Israel is shocking, disturbing and disgusting. I have never seen a state so devoid of humanity and so cruel and callous - a child with no head; a child crawling through the flames of a makeshift hospital camp trying to get to safety; patients burned to death as they lie in their hospital beds; more than 55,000 dead Palestinians; dead doctors; dead journalists; dead aid workers; countless more maimed and living with horrific injuries; children with no families; and parents with no children. This is not a war. Gaza has no army.”
“I refer to families like that of Joe Deacy from County Mayo who have waited almost seven years, which the Minister knows. I want Lucia O'Farrell and her family to know that whatever their decision is on how to proceed from this point, they will have my full backing and the continued support of the Sinn Féin Party. May Shane O'Farrell rest in peace. May Shane O'Farrell always be remembered.”
“There are examples that were read out today of the complete incompetence that occurred again and again in this case. It is beyond comprehension that a beautiful young man, an upstanding member of the community on the cusp of making his way in the world, was killed by a criminal who fled the scene and who received a suspended sentence and a plane ticket home. It beggars belief that Shane O'Farrell was the victim not only of the man who killed him, but of the State that failed to protect him and then cruelly denied his family justice over and over again. I hope that for the O'Farrell family, today's apology brings some comfort. I know it does for other families. It brings some hope to those who right now search for the truth, those who are denied an inquest and those who are denied the truth.”
“The family have been forced to become campaigners for justice, meeting TDs, Ministers and successive taoisigh for years. If it were not for the tenacity, endurance and love of Lucia O'Farrell for almost 14 years, I can say with absolute certainty that this apology would not be happening today. The campaign for justice for Shane has uncovered appalling ineptitude and inexplicable actions in decisions made by An Garda Síochána, the Director of Public Prosecutions, DPP, the justice system and all of the agencies of the State that have been involved in this case. This family have been very badly let down by the systems that are supposed to protect citizens, and Shane O'Farrell paid with his life. He was a wonderful young man with a bright future ahead of him. The truth is straightforward. This should never have happened.”
“As we have done for several years now, I welcome Lucia, Jim, Gemma, Pia, Aimee, Hannah and the extended O'Farrell family to the Gallery today. They are absolutely the family that would not go away, and I thank them for that, although I wish they did not have to make yet another trip to the House to try to secure justice for their son and brother Shane. It was important that the truth of what happened that led to the death of Shane O'Farrell was outlined here today. Reading that into the record is important, but what is important is the why. I wonder as I sit here whether there are people who have spoken here today who know the why? The O'Farrell family deserve that. Today's apology by the Government, although welcome, took far too long and has been an excruciating journey for Lucia and the O'Farrell family.”
“There is a way to fix this, and we have presented to the Government time and time again how this situation can be fixed. I urge the Minister of State to listen.”
“The HSE has confirmed that currently 242 people in Mayo are on the waiting list for home support. That is not right. That is home support they vitally need. A spokesperson for HSE West and North-West said that home support is provided to a total of 1,581 clients in Mayo. We cannot operate a health service without a proper home care system and despite the great work that is being done by home carers, we do not have that because staff cannot be retained. The deal some of these staff get, in terms of the money they are paid or the lack of travel allowance they get, is not right. That is why there are problems with retention and recruitment. This situation has to be fixed because it obviously has a knock-on impact on people who are in acute hospitals longer than they need to, but also on other situations in other hospitals as well.”
“I commend all the home carers and the people who are providing a great service. We need to have some truth around this situation because the Minister of State knows, going back to 2007 and 2008, we had an excellent home care service in this country. The HSE and the Minister for Health at the time went around and they chopped and chopped and privatised the service. They privatised home care, which is such a vital service. This was wrong. I have a file that thick at home since we worked at it in Mayo, because they started implementing the cuts on home care in the county. This is not the right way to provide home care. I commend and thank those who brought forward this motion. This situation need never have happened. It has been constructed by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael together and that is the honesty around it.”
“The delay in the payments, particular for ACRES, is inexcusable and cruel. It is just not acceptable that computer glitches are used as a reason to withhold payments. The Government had no problem signing off on the Arts Council's spend of €7 million on an IT system that has never been used. It is high time the IT issue in Department of agriculture was resolved. The debacle in ACRES runs contrary to three of the aims of the CAP strategic plan: to protect farm incomes, to recognise the hard work of our farm families as food producers regardless of where they live and to play a meaningful role in supporting our climate ambitions. We cannot to do this is we lose farmers' trust as payments are delayed time and again.”
“Some women unwittingly have become herd owners when their spouses passed away and so on and are locked out of this scheme due to the 2022 reference year. Will the Minister advise if there are plans to move forward the reference year? It is important that he do so. We need to encourage, not discourage, women farmers. We drastically need to see an increased CAP budget that takes into account inflation over the past number of years. People in rural Ireland are crippled by the cost of living. Those in agriculture reliant on CAP payments have seen wholesale hikes in the cost of fuel as well as other necessities. The Government must step in and offer some relief in the upcoming budget. It is not acceptable to set its face against hard-pressed families with the cost of all items constantly rising.”
“Before I talk to the Minister about the wider CAP agenda, I raise the schedule for the women's farm capital investment scheme, in which women get 60% grant aid for TAMS 3. The normal rate is 40%, so it is attractive for many women farmers. However, when drawing up the rules of the scheme, the Department set a base year of 2022 as the year a woman has to have submitted a basic payment form. It is now 2025 and a woman farmer who took on the herd number in 2023 will have submitted three basic payment forms but will still not qualify for the scheme. It has been normal procedure in the past in various schemes that if a base year for qualification was set, it was moved into the next year as the years progressed.”
“I welcome the students and teachers from Coláiste Pobail Acla here today. I know the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Dara Calleary, would want to do likewise. While we are on the subject of Achill, which the Taoiseach will know is one of the most beautiful places in the world, there is a severe shortage of facilities for young people on the island such as a youth centre. They need a permanent home and a permanent youth centre. I met Foróige in Dún Ibhir last Sunday. It is doing marvellous work.”
“Where is the work plan committed to in the programme for Government? It was not in the Government's spring legislative programme. We are halfway through 2025 and there is no sign of a work plan. I urge the Government to take action and not engage in more delays. Our all-island economy is becoming more integrated. This is a good thing in the face of so much global uncertainty. Going forward, it makes sense that legislation on workers' rights should be standardised on an all-island basis.”