Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 6 July 2022

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation

Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the Companies (Protection of Employees' Rights in Liquidations) Bill 2021: Discussion

Ms Maeve McElwee:

We would, of course, acknowledge that it is a very difficult time for the Debenhams workers. It is a very difficult time for any worker who finds himself or herself in a situation of redundancy. Inevitably, it is also always a very stressful and challenging time, and no more so than when an employer has become insolvent. Different circumstances arise where there are questions over wrongdoing in how the liquidation occurred. My understanding of the Debenhams liquidation is that there was no sense that there was any non-compliance with the legislation or any operation to construct anything that was not clearly a business situation arising. There was no move to implement insolvency that was not a trading necessity, if that makes sense. The reality of a proportionate response is that the response needs to be fair and equitable when we look at all employees who may be facing a situation of redundancy and creating-----