The Government is determined to stamp out abuses by unscrupulous employers and agencies in the employment of foreign workers, and breaches of the legislation will be prosecuted, the Dail was told.

Mr Tom Kitt, Minister of State for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, said abuses included reneging on pay terms and other working conditions offered to an immigrant before departure from their own country.

Foreign workers were subject to excessive working hours, illegal deductions, excessive accommodation fees and non-payment of Sunday, holiday or public holiday pay.

The Minister was responding to Fine Gael's enterprise, trade and employment spokesman, Mr Denis Naughten. He asked if the Minister was aware of media reports that "eastern Europeans are being paid less than the minimum wage in a company in the midlands, that a Filipino national was threatened with deportation unless she worked a day and night shift for 18 hours without any meal breaks, and that six nurses coming here had their contracts changed on arrival".

Mr Naughten added that in the same report, an Irish-based agent who is an employee of a semi-State company charged a 10 per cent fee on individual Romanian salaries. "Sixty are under such a contract. Is the Minister of State aware of this and what investigations are taking place?"

He also asked what progress had been made in the departmental investigations into the sale of work permits for £6,000.

He said the only way employers or agencies would change their ways was if investigations were conducted and prosecutions taken. Mr Kitt said the Department was investigating many of these claims.

"Files are being prepared for the office of the Chief State Solicitor. If there are breaches of legislation, there will be prosecutions, but the key is the establishment of a link between agencies and employers here and agencies in the countries of origin of foreign workers."