Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)

I welcome the announcement by the Minister of State because there has been some confusion on whether the Government accepted the Law Reform Commission's report.

We have been waiting almost two years for the amending safety, health and welfare at work Bill. The Minister of State said in December that it was a very lengthy Bill, it would have many clauses and it was very difficult to construct. Will the inclusion of the new offence delay the Bill, because he gave the original date of publication as March or April? Will he have discussions with the social partners in advance of finalising the Bill, in other words, by circulating heads of the Bill? Will he give the same courtesy to the Committee on Enterprise and Small Business? If the Minister of State's original comments are accurate, it appears to be a very important Bill which we might have an input into at an early stage. When does he expect to be in a position to present the Bill to the House?

See this speech in context