I got the chance to highlight the tremendous work carried out by those in our voluntary and community sector in the Seanad.
This was in advance of our Labour Party bill in the Dail to give those working in this area a pay rise, their first since 2008 and provide a mechanism for pay parity with public service workers into the future.
In the debate today the Government agreed to look at putting a process in place. I agree with my colleague Duncan Smith TD that this process must be put in place immediately with a defined timeline and guarantee of engagement.
These workers do so much work in our communities, they must no longer be the forgotten workers.