Mr. John Hurley:

These are just the terms of the directive as it has been transposed into Irish law. There are various options for national legislators in the EU directive. When transposing the law, the Irish legislators chose to take a reference period of 18 months for all pay entitlements and pay claims connected with the insolvency. That longer timeframe was also accompanied by a guarantee of payments for a minimum of two months rather than three, which is the general minimum the directive establishes. In the majority of member states, the pay guarantee that operates is for three months rather than two.