Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for their presentations and their work. This is potentially a very important directive in terms of putting real pressure on companies to respect human rights and the environment. From listening to what the witnesses have said, however, there is a real danger that it will get watered down. Having been in the European Parliament, I have no doubt that an army of lobbyists is currently working on behalf of large sections of big business to water it down and ensure it effectively remains an exercise in corporate washing and greenwashing. It is concerning that the Irish Government has not taken a public position on the various matters under discussion at Council level. The lack of progress in terms of Irish legislation is also concerning.

An excellent report by the ICBHR, Make It Your Business, Ireland!", speaks about the role of corporations in human rights and some of the abuses that take place. People might be a bit shocked about the role of Irish corporations in this. People can have the idea that Chinese or US corporations are the ones doing bad things around the world. Without speaking about specific companies because, unfortunately, we are not allowed to, is it possible to speak a little about some of the bad practices that are happening down the supply chain in which Irish businesses are involved?