Peter Mathews (Dublin South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Mulherin alluded to limited liability. I think companies have limited liability in place to deal with transactions and trading, so that if they go bad it does not expose the owners of the business to personal liability. Employment has a personal relationship dimension to it. It has responsibilities, it is not just rights. There are responsibilities, when one is employed by somebody. One is acting as an agent for that person or company. It is a more complex relationship. That must be mirrored in any thinking around fairness in this area. When a person takes a case it brings major challenges to him or her because he or she is open to exposure at multiple levels, not just in the person's employment record but his or her personal situation comes under scrutiny as does everything about him or her. It takes a great act of bravery and courage to go into this arena. That must be expressly recognised. Who wants to go before an Employment Appeals Tribunal? I have had a great deal of life and professional experience, but I would find it daunting. It is awesome. That needs to be taken into account. May I make one suggestion to all the people who are involved in delivering this world class workplace relations service - that Mr. O'Sullivan would be co-opted on to the project team. He has shown his abilities, his undoubted experience. He has an excellent temperament and I would be the first to propose that he be a member of such a project team-----