Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin North Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

What helps Dr. Thornhill's case is that he has identified the problem. If this is the No. 1 reason why people are missing work, then obviously it is something that has to be corrected. All of us on this committee believe that early intervention is the key in most areas of policy.

Dr. Thornhill has identified the costs. In his initial presentation he said he was looking for champions in this regard. A champion will always be asked the hard questions - for example, if one has a model for intervention how much will it cost? That body of work will have to be done in order to get the cost structure fine-tuned.

The suggestion of going Department by Department, sector by sector or through larger private sector entities first, is a good one. Dr. Thornhill said that having 50% of employees in small or medium-sized businesses might not necessarily be the way to go yet.

I certainly think we should keep in contact with each other. We often have presentations here with a good engagement, but the relationship may not be built up or we do not come back to see where it has gone. After Dr. Thornhill has met the Minister and the conference has been held, perhaps he could communicate again with the committee. We will certainly circulate the presentation and post it on our website.

Anyone who has heard today's presentations will certainly be convinced by the validity of Dr. Thornhill's argument. I thank him and his colleagues for attending the committee.