SEANAD:UP TO 8,000 jobs could be lost if the Government takes no steps to mitigate the impact of an EU directive due to become part of our legislation from December 5th, Mary Ann O'Brien (Ind) said. The two main aspects of the Agency Workers Directive are equality and the removal of restrictions.

Ms O’Brien said her company employed 100 people full-time and 100 part-time. If it won a sizeable export contract it could bring in temporary workers “at the drop of a hat”.

If she had to hire an 18-year-old as a temporary receptionist, she would have to engage that receptionist on the same pay and conditions as if they had been a full-time receptionist for years.

A Confederation of British Industry survey indicated a potential 25 per cent reduction in the use of agency workers there. If the same scenario unfolded here, it would involve the loss of about 8,000 jobs.

People who had been evacuated from the Priory Hall complex in north Dublin did not believe that the developer or anyone contracted by him would do a proper job to make the apartments safe, Averil Power (FF) said.

The Department of the Environment should intervene to ensure that the work was carried out to the appropriate standard in terms of fire safety so that it complied with building control regulations.

Rónán Mullen (Ind) said he did not agree with the emphasis being placed on the role of Roma gypsies begging in Dublin and elsewhere.

“It’s the behaviour we need to tackle and I don’t think we should be unduly concerned with identifying the nationality or the ethnicity of the people.”

Paschal Mooney (FF) said it was extraordinary that €1,500 had been found on one Roma gypsy by gardaí tackling unlawful begging. The prevalence of aggressive begging had been demonstrated by the fact that 500 prosecutions had been initiated.

Government Chief Whip Paul Coghlan (FG) said Roma beggars operated like a well-organised cell. Money was being sent to Romania or wherever.