Mr. Denis Sheridan:

Returning to the Deputy's comments to the effect that we cannot rush this if it is going to become a model for Europe. We have worked closely with the European Trade Union Confederation and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions on this. We have had discussions with the MEPs Chris MacManus, Denis Radtke and Gaby Bischoff. Denis Radtke wrote a report recently on the basis because the directive has to be changed. It was due an upgrade. On putting models in place, each country can only deal with its own model. We have to deal with Ireland. What we do may influence elsewhere but that is all it will do. We can only deal with Ireland and that is what we will do.

On legal expertise, etc., Mr. Hayes is correct. The Deputy will know, having been in Brussels, everything is legalistic, it is about courts and things like that, whereas the Irish model is very different. What we are trying to say here today is that while there would be a discrepancy between what the worker representatives could afford because the company was paying for it and what the company might go out and get for itself. That would be difficult and that is why both sides want to go under the industrial relations mechanisms so you hear directly from the workers what the issues are. You do not hear legal arguments from barristers and solicitors. That is the same from the employers side. This is something new to them that they like. They have got used to EWCs and having dialogue. Rather than going to the courts, they just want to have dialogue to tease out the problems.