Tony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)

I have considered this matter at considerable length. The difficulty is that there are so many circumstances and so many different workplaces that having four meetings a year would not achieve much since the same information would be available at all of them and there is little change. It is important to stress that the twice yearly meetings provided for are the legislative minimum. If the minima were being set out in regulation rather than legislation, I would be more disposed to looking at a higher number but this is primary legislation. It seems to me that, in circumstances where there is provision for additional meetings and this is the minimum number, two is reasonable for the minimum number across the wide range of different workplaces. There would be circumstances in where more than that would not make much sense and, in circumstances where it would, people are clearly in a position to have such meetings.

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