Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)

That is the view of the Minister of State but the House has also taken a view. What is proper is determined by the orders of the House. It is not convenient for the Minister of State to accept it, or he does not want to expand the scope of the Bill to accept it. In essence, that is the unlisted argument which is a different one.

The other issue, on which I am still no wiser, is that the Minister of State has repeated for the umpteenth time that there is a right in the code of practice. Is the code of practice enforceable? Is it binding or is it simply an advisory code of practice? Should an employer not accept the code in so far as a trade union representative of an individual should represent an employee with a grievance, subject to disciplinary procedures? Where stands the issue there? Has the employee a right to demand and insist that a trade union representative represent him or her at such a hearing?

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