Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)

I have received correspondence from the office of the Minister of State, Deputy Killeen, regarding this matter. I expressed concern about this section in the hope that there would not be frivolous complaints by a small number of people which would trigger off unnecessary activity and perhaps damage the cohesion of the employer-employee relationship. The Minister of State has indicated to me that he is satisfied that in the current wording of the legislation this will not happen, and he has given me an undertaking it will not. I accept his word and if the legislative system is robust enough to stand up to that concern, I will be happy. However, if regulations are required to ensure this is further strengthened so that there are no unjustifiable frivolous complaints, they would be important for employers and the workplace partnership.

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