I am not raising the industrial relations (amendment) Bill in the context of what happened here this morning. Some time ago, the Mandate union referred Dunnes Stores to the Labour Court in connection with zero hours contracts. Representatives of Dunnes Stores did not turn up at the Labour Court hearings. In effect, workers who have been put on zero hours contracts by some companies in this country - I refer to Dunnes Stores, in particular - are basically guaranteed no hours whatsoever. I am aware that the industrial relations (amendment) Bill is currently the subject of a consultative process. There is an urgency about this issue, particularly in light of the recent unemployment figures. People are saying that employment is increasing, but at what cost in terms of employment? To what extent are zero hours contracts being calculated into those jobs figures?

In the context of the employment figures, we now have 1.93 million people at work, which is the best figure since 2009. That is welcome news for everyone. The fact is that 94% of the extra employment that has been created is full-time employment, so it is not affected by the zero-hour situation.

Regarding the legislation to which the Deputy referred, work is ongoing in the Department and I understand that it will be introduced next year.