Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will try to answer the Deputy's questions. There is an assumption by Deputy Gould and many others that the implementation of the Duffy Cahill report would resolve the situation for Debenhams workers. I must be truthful. I have read through the document on a number of occasions and I have listened to debates. I do not see the evidence to support that. I am not sure that is the case and I have not seen the evidence to support it. I wish to be clear in that regard.

Regarding resolving the Debenhams case, again, the State can only get involved to a certain extent in this situation under the law. It is a private matter involving a private company. I have absolute sympathy for those workers. My heart goes out to them. I have met with them and engaged with them. What is more important, the State has stepped in to fulfil its responsibilities. Some parts of the situation relate to a private arrangement the workers have had with their company. They are working with the unions and others involved to try to resolve that. The State cannot just fix that. I wish it could. I know the Taoiseach wishes we could too, as does the Tánaiste, but we cannot do it just like that. We are trying to help with the negotiations and to encourage the parties to get back to the table. Where we did have a role, the various Departments immediately stepped up to answer that call.

Deputy Gould has asked about the recommendations. When the Duffy Cahill report was brought forward it contained six recommendations specific to scenarios concerning assets. The report authors said themselves they did not look at the wider policy context or address costs. That was not part of their brief. The brief of the Government and the Departments is to take the wider view on all of this and to look at the recommendations, the overall situation and the knock-on effect for policy and decisions on both employees and employers, the management of companies, assets and future jobs. We have to look at all of that and to get the balance right. That is what we are committed to doing to see if we can strengthen employees' rights. That is what I am committed to doing. Part of that work is reviewing these recommendations, which had been reviewed before and decisions were taken on them. We are looking at them again in other contexts and we are having a wider discussion around redundancy and insolvency to see if we can make positive changes that will have a positive impact, not just for the sake of it. We are here not just because of one situation and one company. We are discussing the legislation in general and the Duffy Cahill report. I was asked by Debenhams to do this and I said I would if I could find solutions that would be effective and worthwhile. That is what they asked and that is what we will do, but it will have a knock-on effect for everybody.