Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I support the thrust of these two amendments. It seems strange that in a single insolvency situation no element of the debt remains with the company. It would seem in those circumstances that a company is allowed to wind up the scheme and essentially walk away from it. That leaves the taxpayer to pick up the tab. I do not understand why that debt does not remain with the company. That is the most significant gap in this legislation. It sets out how members will have to share the pain, but it allows companies to wash their hands of their responsibilities. I am not sure if taxpayers realise this is what the Minister proposes to do. It is not allowed in the United Kingdom. Why on earth does the Minister propose to do it in this legislation? I would be interested to hear the justification for it. As far as I can see, this is a huge gap in the legislation but it needs to be closed by way of amendments similar to the ones proposed by my two colleagues.