Vol. 1087 No. 4
137. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if he will provide an update on his engagement with a company (details supplied) regarding recent job losses and redundancies announced by the company; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45929/26]
I am covering the questions for Deputy Conway-Walsh. I ask the Minister to provide an update on any engagement with Covalen regarding recent job losses and redundancies announced by the company and to make a statement about it.
The Minister, Deputy Peter Burke, is making his way back from Strasbourg and he should be joining us shortly. I will take some of the priority questions in his absence but he will be here later in Question Time.
As the Deputy will be aware, on 27 April 2026 Covalen informed its employees of its intention to reduce its workforce. Covalen is a Dublin-based provider of customer experience, business process outsourcing and managed services, headquartered in Sandyford. The company provides services across customer support, operations and content moderation. Covalen forms part of the Cpl Group, an international talent solutions and outsourcing provider headquartered in Dublin, operating across multiple markets and sectors. The company operates within a global outsourcing model where activity levels are aligned to client demand. My understanding is that the company has been impacted by a shift in client demand, resulting in a reduction in the volume of services required and a requirement to adjust operations accordingly.
My foremost concern, and that of the Government, is the potentially impacted employees and their families during this uncertain time. IDA Ireland has established internal processes for managing potential job loss situations with its client companies. This involves proactive engagement with site leadership of the company and its parent company to explore options to avoid or minimise any job losses.
In respect of impacted employees, IDA is proactively engaging across its client base to identify potential redeployment opportunities where there is a skills match. IDA has also facilitated connections between interested companies and company representatives, and this work is ongoing. IDA has been engaging at a senior level with the company to ensure it is aware of the full range of IDA supports available at this time. IDA remains in contact with the company regarding recent developments.
I appreciate what the Minister of State has said about IDA but he will be aware that over 700 employees at the Meta contractor were told that they would lose their jobs which will be replaced by AI. They have written to the Minister requesting intervention. I want to know what engagement the Minister has had. What has the Department done to assist the impacted workers?
As the Minister of State is probably aware, last week Covalen workers and the CWU gave a briefing in the audiovisual room outlining the situation facing the 700 employees. I thank Deputy Boyd Barrett for facilitating that. These workers explained how they were being asked to train AI systems to do their own jobs, effectively digging their own graves. These are mostly content reviewers, watching some of the most horrific content online so that we and our children do not get to see it. While at work, there are no psychological or mental health supports. Some have been hospitalised from the traumatising impact and what have they been given? They have been shown the door with the bare minimum redundancy package. That highlights the attitude of some of these tech companies.
The employer is imposing a six-month cooling-off period which would prevent them taking up employment in similar roles. What are they supposed to do? Many of them are non-Irish nationals on critical skills visas with no family support network, which is all the more reason for the Government to step in.
As I said earlier, my first and overriding concern in this situation is for the workers affected and their families who are facing a very uncertain time. IDA has been very active and proactive in its engagements at senior level with this company. That is very much with the clear focus of exploring all options to minimise job losses and also support the business through this transition. At the same time, IDA Ireland is working intensively to support the impacted employees. As with any redundancies, the industrial relations mechanisms of the State step in. Inevitably, there is a process that both the Government and the company have to abide by. In these situations, we certainly do not stand back. We are eager to engage early. We are eager to engage and support workers directly. We want to work with them to secure alternative employment wherever possible.
These are vulnerable workers. Covalen had turnover of €722 million and a profit of €26.2 million and despite that is offering statutory redundancy, which is an absolute scandal. The parent company works on many other public sector accounts for the Government. An employer that treats employees like this really needs to be looked at when the public sector contracts are up for grabs. Some 20,000 jobs have been cut by the tech sector. This should be a wake-up call for Government. Government and the Department should be meeting them. These workers are not asking for any special treatment but they need the Government’s help to end this six-month cooling-off period, so that they can work again in the same sector, put money in their pockets with a fair redundancy scheme, reform the redundancy procedures to improve their terms and legislate for their right to join a union. It is absolutely scandalous in this day and age that unions are kept out of some of these tech companies. I ask the Minister to intervene on behalf of workers to ensure they are treated fairly and receive what is due to them.
I thank the Deputy for his question. It is essential that any redundancy process is co-ordinated fairly, transparently and in full compliance with the law. Ireland has a strong, robust legal framework in place to protect workers experiencing redundancy. That includes a 30-day consultation process in the case of collective redundancies. There are clear obligations required on Covalen in this regard to engage meaningfully with employee representatives. Indeed, any statutory redundancy entitlements and notice protections need to be enacted. That consultation is not just a tick-the-box exercise. It needs to be genuine, meaningful and focused on mitigating job losses wherever possible. That is where our focus is currently, along with raising concerns with regard to any issues that may arise. We will continue to work with the IDA and Covalen.
138. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the steps his Department is taking to implement the recommendations of the recent report of the Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport around the use of recommender algorithms on social media platforms; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45933/26]
Increasingly, large amounts of different groups are recommending that toxic algorithms be turned off by default. Most recently, the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and sport, of which I am a member, made such a recommendation in our report. I would like to hear the steps the Department is taking to specifically deal with that measure to turn off algorithms.
I thank the Deputy for her question. Enhancing online safety, particularly for children and young people, is a whole-of-government priority. I recognise the important work of the committee, particularly the engagement with stakeholders from a wide range of backgrounds who informed the committee's recent report, which is an invaluable aid to understanding how online safety and participation can be improved.
In considering the committee's report, it is important to note the significant body of legislation already in place that provides the foundation for Ireland's online safety framework, including the regulation of online platforms. In Ireland, Coimisiún na Meán is firmly established at the heart of the online safety framework, which comprises the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act, the EU Digital Services Act, DSA, and the EU terrorist content online regulation. In particular, the EU Digital Services Act contains provisions that specifically address recommender systems. Platforms must explain in plain language the main parameters their systems use to suggest content to users and provide options for users to change or influence these parameters. Additionally, very large online platforms and search engines that use recommender systems must allow users, including minors, the option to use recommender systems that do not rely on profiling.
Providers of online platforms are obliged to put in place measures to ensure a high level of privacy, safety and security of minors on their services, including a ban on adverts based on profiling, where the user is a minor. These online platforms and engines must also conduct a yearly assessment to identify and mitigate potential system risks associated with the design of their recommender algorithms.
I know the committee's report recognises the sound foundations that are provided by the DSA and the online safety code. It also notes the investigations under the DSA that have been taken by Coimisiún na Meán.
Additional information not given on the floor of the House
The European Commission also has investigations ongoing into the use of recommender algorithms by a number of online platforms. This is EU regulation in action.
The recently published National Digital and AI Strategy 2030 contains measures that further reinforce the Government's commitment to enhancing online safety as a whole-system priority. In this context, the EU audio visual media services directive, which is the basis for Ireland's online safety code, is currently being evaluated and further measures are likely to be proposed at European level.
Online safety is under the remit of the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Deputy O'Donovan. His Department is currently assessing the ten recommendations set out in the committee's report, with a view to identifying and engaging the various Departments that will have a role in considering next steps. My officials will work closely with the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport in that regard.
It is clear that the current legislation and regulatory framework are not working. The Minister of State talked a lot about the obligations on these platforms to allow users to adjust their settings and basically push back against algorithmic profiling and so on, but it is clear that it is not working. There have been multiple US cases recently where we see that the design of these products themselves promotes addiction, and the secret sauce behind all of them is the algorithm. Whatever the Minister of State is describing in terms of the existing regulatory framework, it is not working.
The Data Protection Commission, DPC, essentially failed because if it had properly enforced the GDPR, we would not have had to set up Coimisiún na Meán. It now has a whole suite of European Union regulation to enforce, but it is still failing. We are now setting up an AI office within the Department of enterprise, which is just going to add to the complexity of a regulatory framework that is not working.
This is not just about children. These algorithms are toxic and problematic for all of us. I will go into detail on how. This is not working as it stands. Users are not to be blamed.
I thank the Deputy for raising these concerns. I understand the concerns being raised and the impact recommender algorithms have on children. They are valid. Certainly, the Government takes the matter seriously. This is not simple. While it might sound straightforward to just ban recommender systems in theory, it needs to be evidence-based. There are also risks of unintended consequences. Having been a member of the media committee and having listened to many of the social media platforms, I am aware that recommender systems also form part of the solution. They do not just amplify harmful content. They are used as filters and to prioritise safety signals. They also reduce exposure to illegal and harmful material.
Through the Digital Services Act, we are focused on platforms reducing the risks with these algorithms and ensuring that we have continuous enforcement. The DSA has measures in place that are currently in existence and legislated for. They need to be enacted. That is the responsibility of the European Commission, along with Coimisiún na Meán.
As I said, they are not working. I am not proposing a ban on algorithms. What I am saying is that algorithms are the way these products are being made addictive. We are all suffering as a result. They are radicalising people, promoting harmful content and polarising our society. We need to turn them off by default, and turn them off entirely for children. There are no unintended consequences in that regard. It would bring us back to the Internet that we used to enjoy, where we were not constantly bombarded with material that is trying to sell us things or keep our eyes locked on a screen.
This is more important than ever as AI develops. AI will go further than just keeping our eyes on the screen. It is seeking to make emotional connections with us that would exploit us further and make us more addicted to these products. We have to turn off the algorithm by default. We are going to spend the next year discussing this ban for under 16s, which is not going to work because it penalises children and raises major privacy concerns, when we know the solution is to turn off toxic algorithms by default and fully for children. That is what we need to do.
A lot of work is being undertaken in our engagement with social media platforms. That includes age verification and working hand in hand with the European Commission. Coimisiún na Meán is central to the enforcement role. We have seen many investigations in recent times. I believe we need to focus on a more co-ordinated approach through European regulation. These are many global platforms that have a global reach. Ireland alone cannot take a central role. We have to work with our partners to try to alleviate this. Work is under way in many ways to protect minors and children. The issue of restricting social media for under 16s will be debated in this House and I believe we need to put protections in place. I agree with the Deputy that algorithms are central to that.
139. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the reason the export of €20 million worth of dual-use technology to the Israel Defense Forces and the Israeli Ministry of Defence was sanctioned by his Department in 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45930/26]
We have all seen the devastation Israel has unleashed on the Middle East since 2023. Gaza has been razed to the ground, hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced and 70,000 have been killed. At the same time, in 2024, at the height of this onslaught by Israel, the Minister's Department approved €20 million worth of dual-use technology to the IDF and the Israeli Ministry for Defense. Will the Minister explain to the people of Ireland, and the people of Palestine, why the Government gave approval for this?
My Department's responsibilities centre on the control of exports of dual-use and military items under EU and national legislation. Controls and export of dual-use items are administered by my Department in accordance with EU Regulation No. 2021/821 of the European Parliament and the Council, setting up a Union regime for export controls, brokering, technical assistance, transit and transfer of dual-use items. The bulk of dual-use exports from Ireland, including those to end users in Israel, are mainstream business ICT products, both hardware and software.
They are categorised as dual-use items as a consequence of the fact that they incorporate strong encryption for ICT security purposes.
The primary purpose of export controls is not to block trade or exports, but to enable the free movement of legitimate goods while ensuring that certain sensitive categories are subject to appropriate regulation. All export licence applications are considered by my officials in accordance with criteria set out within the relevant dual-use and military EU and national regulations and Ireland's international obligations and responsibilities as members of non-proliferation regimes and export control arrangements. Each application is assessed individually, considering the nature of the items, the destination country, the identity of the end user and the intended end use. Ireland’s export control decisions are guided by the EU common position and its criteria, which include respect for human rights, international obligations, regional stability and risk of diversion to another end use or end user.
The risk profile of an application is impacted by current geopolitical factors, the end user, the items in question and their ability to be misused. This risk profile can change on a case-by-case basis. If an application is deemed high risk and the exporter is unable to provide strong assurances to mitigate the risks identified, the application will be denied. As each application is treated on a case-by-case basis, the available verifiable information at the time and associated risk assessments can change from application to application.
I thank the Minister for the reply. Have there been any reviews of the position since 2024? Let us talk through the facts. As the Minister has explained, to export dual-use technology, which is technology with civilian and military capabilities such as computers, chips and software, a licence is required, as the Minister explained. At least 11 dual-use licences were granted for goods, worth €35 million, to be exported to Israel, €20 million of that in 2024 alone at the height of the attacks on Gaza. The Currency reports that the end user of the these goods were the IDF and the Israeli Ministry for Defense. There are severe consequences under international law for exporting dual-use goods to a state sponsor of terrorism or a conflict zone. Crimes Israel committed in Gaza and is continuing to commit are under investigation by the International Court of Justice. The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory has already found that Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli Prime Minister, Netanyahu, and former Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, have arrest warrants against them. The Minister cannot claim he did not know what was happening. Is Ireland going to be complicit in continuing to support the genocide in Gaza because of decisions taken by the Department?
First, I robustly refute that Ireland, in any circumstances, is supporting genocide in Gaza. This country has been a firm supporter of international law. We have worked with the people of Gaza and Palestine to ensure we recognise the State of Palestine. We supported UNRWA at a very difficult time when Commissioner Várhelyi tried to take a unilateral decision. We were the first to support it. We joined the ICJ case and provided a significant amount of humanitarian aid.
In relation to export controls, with regard o every single item that is exported, there has to be proof what the end user is and, essentially, where the product will end up. The Department independently licenses those products in line with EU legislation and the framework established by the EU. As I said, that is grounded in humanitarian law, ensuring there are no unintended consequences from the exports. That has been critical to our approach in the Department. We always stand by that firm application process.
I asked whether there had been any review because no dual licences for export to Israel were granted in 2025 and 2026. Was there some recognition that the technology was being used to facilitate military action across the Middle East, or did something change from 2025 onward? Why did the Government continue to permit dual-use exports in 2024 at the height of the onslaught and attacks? These are questions that need to be answered. Was there a change in tack? Did the Government review it? Did it realise that it had been making a mistake and that parts of the State were complicit?
In May 2024, Ireland recognised, finally, the State of Palestine, but in the same year, €20 million worth of technology was sanctioned to the IDF and the Israeli Ministry of Defense to assist them. By the end of that year, every single hospital in Gaza was either damaged or destroyed, 70,000 people had been killed, families were wiped out and homes and schools had been reduced to rubble. It is incomprehensible that an Irish Government would still continue to use dual licences to export to Israel. While the Government is speaking out on banning the exports of goods, actions speak louder than words.
There has been no review. There has been no change in policy. Our regime is robust and strong. In no circumstances is it contributing in any way to genocide in Gaza. We have a very clear protocol, as established under the EU framework on the export of dual-use items. Applications have reduced and changed from year to year. That is the reality here. It is not the case that our policy has changed or something happened to cause us to review our policy. We have a clear framework in line with European Union and international obligations.
Ireland has been firm in its support of the people of Gaza. We are firm in calling out genocide and recognising the State of Palestine. We were firm in supporting UNRWA at a difficult time. We were firm in joining the ICJ case, standing up in the highest international forums - the UN and others - and, critically, in calling for a review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement and calling for sanctions in that regard. We were firm in all those measures, standing up for the vulnerable citizens in Palestine.
140. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment for an update on his Department's investigation into exports to Russia from a company (details supplied); when the investigation is expected to be completed and if the findings will be reported in a full and transparent manner; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45931/26]
The Minister was recently on the airwaves speaking about the huge volume of exports to Russia from the State and assuring us that the figures presented by the Central Statistics Office were, in fact, incorrect. He is on record saying that the CSO was the gold standard for statistics and that a current investigation of the plant in Aughinish would be carried out by the Department. We all want openness about this. Will the Minister update the House on the investigation and confirm whether it has been completed? Will he publish its findings?
I thank the Deputy for this important question. I will first make a clarification. I never said the CSO was incorrect. I said the management of Aughinish Alumina had furnished incorrect information to the CSO and that the company was working with the CSO to rectify same. I want to be clear. The CSO is the gold standard and I never implied it was incorrect in any way.
Ireland remains unequivocal in its continuing support for Ukraine after Russia's unjustified invasion. I remind the Deputy that Aughinish Alumina is not subject to any sanctions by the EU and alumina is not a sanctioned good. Therefore, its export to other countries, including Russia, is not restricted. For context, the Aughinish Alumina plant is Europe's largest refinery and one of the most important suppliers to the EU aluminium sector. Since it began production in 1983, the Aughinish plant has also been a supplier of energy to the national grid and is a significant employer in the Limerick area.
My Department is currently investigating the matters raised in a recent report in The Irish Times report about Aughinish Alumina and its exports to Russia. I take the matter of potential sanctions violations very seriously. The report indicates the potential for the alumina being refined and ultimately processed into aluminium for use by the Russian military and sourced through a sanctioned entity. Therefore, the Deputy will appreciate that this is a highly complex investigation with multiple strands. It has necessitated my Department's engagement with other bodies within the State and with other member states, as well as with the company itself. Officials within my Department are working independently on this investigation. Upon its conclusion, engagements will be had at official and political level with the European Commission to discuss, as appropriate.
I am not in a position to comment on specifics of the investigation while it is ongoing because to do so could adversely affect its outcome. I must allow due process to be adhered to. I recognise the high-profile nature of this investigation. The Government will make a statement once it is completed. I cannot give a timeframe for the conclusion of my Department's investigation. While the Department is working as quickly as possible, it is crucial that this investigation is carried out thoroughly and in line with due process where all aspects are considered.
I thank the Minister for the reply. Can he give an approximate time? Will it be by the end of the year, the middle of next year or the end of next year? As the Minister said, there is a question and it is valid. Legitimate questions are being asked about the plant exporting raw material to Russia to fuel the illegal attacks on Ukraine. Everybody in the House appreciates the level of employment the company provides in the Limerick and north Kerry area. At the same time, nobody is saying that its products should be used to assist an illegal war effort. There is a question mark. Society is questioning how it has been permitted to continue and why the Government has been so slow to conduct an investigation.
The Ukrainian Embassy has expressed serious concern about the continued sales to Russia, including for weapons such as ballistic missiles, hypersonic missiles and Shahed drones, the weapons we hear are being used against Ukrainian cities every week.
Thank you, Deputy.
I will finish on this. Even if it was an error to state that 80% of the company's exports went to Russia in 2025 and the true figure is 45%, that is still unacceptable.
We need to ascertain where that 45% is going because there are many aspects of the economic model of every country that requires alumina. The material is used for making medical devices and in the food processing and automotive sectors. Obviously, the EU is a very significant importer of alumina as it is a critical raw material. It is important to put that on record.
I refute the statement that we were slow to commence an investigation. Once this report was published in The Irish Times and other authorities came forward with information, we immediately opened an investigation. We are in contact with the Swedish authorities and the Ukrainian authorities about the evidence they have received. We are updating the European Commission weekly on the investigation. Ireland has supported robustly and unanimously every one of the 21 rounds of sanctions against Russia for its illegal invasion of Ukraine. We will not tolerate it if it is proven that alumina is ending up in the Russian military complex. The Government of Ireland will take action in that regard.
It is important, as I think the Minister will accept, that the Government step in, maybe with EU officials, to diversify this plant's market away from Russia because jobs are needed in the area and must be saved. That will not be an issue if the Russian exports are stopped, so it is a distraction to frame this as a risk to Limerick jobs. There is a huge global market for alumina and aluminium products outside of Russia - in Europe and other stable economies. The main reason alumina is not on the EU's Russian sanctions list is that any sanction would disproportionately damage European industry. This does not absolve the Government of its responsibility to prevent Aughinish Alumina from fuelling the Russia war effort and drone campaign against Ukrainians. We do not want to see any items or products from Ireland being used to facilitate weaponry directly or indirectly - we are a neutral country - in any illegal war in Ukraine, or anywhere else for that matter. We must be completely confident no products are ending up in the hands of the military. Will the Minister give an approximate timeline for the completion of the review? Has he given the individuals preparing the report a deadline by which he wants to see results?
As the Deputy said, jobs must be saved. It is hard to reconcile that with his further statement in relation to Russia. We have to be clear that products are being exported to Russia that are being used in the Russian military complex, action will have to be taken. There are no easy answers to this. There are a huge number of jobs involved. The plant is responsible for a critical raw material. Any action would have big implications for Europe in the context of its security, for our grid, given that approximately 200,000 homes are powered by the plant, and for the Port of Foynes. There are serious implications but, as a country that upholds the rule of law and takes its obligations to citizens and human rights very seriously, we have to be to the fore on this.
I do not want to pressure those doing the investigation. I know a lot of meetings are taking place this week in respect of it. I hope to have the report very shortly. The investigation will not go on for months or years. It will be a quick investigation and I hope it will begin a process of ascertaining whether the supply chain is concealed, or not. What I am trying to establish here is whether there is a concealed supply chain and whether the company can prove that to the independent investigation and the Commission.
141. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment to update the house on the short-term letting Bill 2025 coming from his Department. [45285/26]
I thank the Deputy for this very important question. In April last year, I obtained Government approval for the general scheme of the short-term letting and tourism Bill. Once enacted, this Bill will provide a statutory framework for regulating the short-term letting sector, including the establishment of a national register.
This register, which has been broadly welcomed by the tourism sector, will be implemented and managed by Fáilte Ireland in compliance with the EU short-term rental regulation. The register will launch on 1 December 2026, with a legal obligation on all operators to register by 31 December 2026. The new housing policy for short-term let activity was set out today at Cabinet by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy James Browne, in a national planning statement. The statement provides a balanced framework that supports sustainable tourism, protects communities, maintains housing supply and enables clear, consistent decision-making for both property owners and planners.
The new housing policy restricts the approval of new planning permissions for short-term lets in cities and larger towns with a population of over 20,000 in the last census. However, planning permission for short-term letting can be granted to preserve heritage or traditional buildings unsuitable for the long-term housing market. Upper floors in mixed-use buildings or small structures beside an owner-occupied home can also be approved, provided neighbours are not adversely affected. Permission will generally be favoured where a dwelling has been used continuously for short-term letting for at least seven years without enforcement action, in line with established use rights. A simplified administrative version of the application process for retention specifically for short-term lets will be introduced.
Short-term let accommodation providers in towns with a population of less than 20,000 have two years to meet planning compliance and additional provisions are being included in the Bill to give effect to this measure. This work will be completed shortly. I intend to bring the Bill to Government in the coming weeks to seek approval for publication, and to advance the Bill to enactment by early autumn.
I ask the Minister to give confidence to the sector - the long-established self-catering operators who have been operating legally for many years - that they will not be forced out of business as a consequence of the new short-term letting regulations?
I know the Deputy has done a lot of work on this matter. In towns with a population of less than 20,000 in areas of the south and west coast where it is not viable to build a hotel and where short-term lets for tourism are needed, we will have a simplified administrative process for providers who have been in operation for more than seven years. We have issued a planning statement which will have a presumption for those operators to be granted planning. It will be a simplified process and there will be a presumption they will be granted planning to ensure they can continue in operation. As Minister, I want to see short-term lets continue in areas where they are needed, such as the west coast and the south. Kerry is a prime example, as are counties Mayo, Leitrim and Longford and rural County Galway. There are areas that need short-term lets to absorb the capacity because there is no hotel accommodation available. We will also bring forward an accommodation strategy this year to try to incentivise the growth of high-quality hotel accommodation as well, which will be another weapon in our armoury.
I thank the Minister. I know his heart is in the right place on this matter, which is the reason I am asking him the questions. What communications has he had on the national planning statement? Will the statement be made available for consultation with stakeholders before implementation? What would the Minister like to see in it?
I have had significant negotiations with the Minister, Deputy James Browne, to achieve a balance. Obviously, it is critical that we have accommodation in our cities, where there is acute pressure on housing units - we are in a housing crisis - and that those units are made available for wider society. Equally, in areas where the tourism sector is very important, and tourism drives economic activity in rural Ireland, it is important that short-term lets that have already been in operation are able to continue. The planning statement will be published and it will state that there will be a presumption of planning to be approved on all short-term lets in areas with a population of less than 20,000. There will be a simplified application process for such operators to go through and there will be a two-year window for them to regularise once the register comes into operation.
Deputy Healy-Rae can follow up with the Minister in writing.
