Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

In the event that an employer cannot pay, it is surely reasonable that there would be a cannot-pay clause. I would have thought, however, it is equally reasonable that in the event that an employer can pay, the employer should pay. Mr. McDonnell made reference in his submission to the perceived lack of contribution by those who earn less than €18,000 a year. It is pretty obvious those people are not earning enough to be able to make a substantial contribution but the notion that there is a mechanism for employers to be able to assess their own capacity and have their capacity to pay assessed is very important.

My next question is for Ms King and it relates to the waiting days. Can she outline the impact of this for members? It is pretty clear that if a person is unwell but goes to work because he or she is driven there by his or her financial circumstances, that is not good for anybody. It is not good for the person him or herself and it is most definitely not good for the people with whom that person is working. Replacement costs have been talked about but the replacement costs of one person can escalate into replacement costs for multiple persons in the event of somebody going to work when he or she is not well. Can Ms King outline to us her view on the need to eliminate the waiting days?