Ollie Crowe (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. Duffy and Ms Cahill for their informative presentation and their work on the report to date. I support their conclusions and recommendations. Coming from a business background, I am well aware of the challenges. I strongly believe that the majority of businesses will always treat their employees fairly but it must also be acknowledged that there is a minority which, unfortunately, will not. That minority will seek to exploit any legislative gaps. It is likely that ensuring those gaps are closed off will remain ongoing work for all governments. At the same time, this is an important piece of work. I am stating the obvious when I say that, based on my experience, employees should always be given the opportunity to engage in consultation. That should not be a minimum standard, by any means, and it is unfortunate that it needs to be legislated for but evidently it does. The proposal in the report is welcome.

If all the recommendations in this report had been implemented in recent years, would that have prevented the current Debenhams situation that has been outlined by many members of the committee? That dispute has gone on for more than 200 days. It is close to my business in Galway city, where I grew up, and I see it on a daily basis. I ask our guests for their professional opinion on my question and thank them for their work to date.