Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is a distinctive model and that is why it deserves a distinctive unit. I want to quote from the head of the relevant Scottish organisation. He said:

We have a choice: to be passive and allow the development of a supportive environment for [worker co-op] companies to happen without industry input, or to take a proactive approach and seek to actively influence how that environment evolves. We believe the proactive approach creates the prospect of making Scotland the best country in the world to establish and grow [a worker co-operative] business.

He is absolutely right. I do not see how you can do that without a dedicated unit. We have waited 100 years for legislation in this area, and what is proposed is very welcome. Why can the Department not be more ambitious and put that development unit at the heart of it, particularly when the best practice from Scotland tells us that it is absolutely necessary? A study carried out by Ekosgen shows that the developments in Scotland would not have happened without a dedicated unit to recognise the distinctive types of companies co-operatives are.