Mr. Vincent Jennings:

It is important to remember that a Bill coming from this House has effect throughout the country for every employer, whether that employer has one employee or tens of thousands. It is very important that legislation referring to a contractual obligation for employers towards employees should be very cognisant of small businesses. It cannot be stressed often enough in these Houses that small businesses are the absolute lifeblood of this economy. We should not make legislation relating to the unscrupulous employers that I have no doubt are out there but which may be part of a wider company with 5,000, 10,000 or 15,000 employees. Hard cases make bad laws and it is very important for us to understand that small businesses would find it very expensive to bring in human resources personnel, notwithstanding Mr. Smyth.

It is not cost-effective for a company with fewer than 50 employees to have an in-house HR person. The minute a small business gets the dreaded envelope through the door demanding that it should do this, that or the other, it is a cost. It is important that we deal with this. I would have thought the existing Organisation of Working Time Act was sufficient. I suggest it would be more appropriate to look at such elements, including this country's well-resourced Workplace Relations Commission, than to bring in new legislation.