Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

I will deal with the Deputy's final question first. As he stated, the judgment in the Laval case was issued only yesterday and we will need time to study and consider the ramifications, if any, for Ireland. Unlike Sweden, Ireland has a statutory minimum wage and it is illegal to pay anyone below the minimum wage, which currently stands at €8.65. Ireland, because of its industrial relations framework and social partnership model, also has registered employment agreements which are binding. The position here is, therefore, different from that in Sweden.

Under Towards 2016, the ten-year framework agreed last year between the social partners and Government, new legislation, the employment law compliance Bill, will be introduced. We have already established the National Employment Rights Authority whose chief executive is Ger Deering. Some 60 labour inspectors have been recruited and 30 inspectors interviewed. By October this year, more than 3,000 workplace inspections had been carried out, which is double the figure for 2006. The Government will not tolerate abuse of workers and we are committed to building a statutory framework to prevent any possible displacement of workers. The Laval judgment will have to be considered very carefully by the social partners and I hope this will be done. If debate in the House is required, we will examine that matter at a later date.

I was speaking with the officials this morning on this issue. They have already commenced their judgment on it. We have a very different position from Sweden because we have the statutory minimum wage and the registered agreements.

In regard to Kosovo, if the UN mandate issue was sorted out it could well be that more people will be required. We have been in there and have played a very good role from the start, including the Garda. The new group will try to deal with the administrative side. There are some 17,000 soldiers there but some day they will have to move towards setting up a structured society. The Garda has been doing a good job in that area and is well respected there. Hopefully the position will not get out of control. It is obvious there will be considerable tensions in the new year. In the EU, it is important to keep close to Serbia as well and try to avoid any heightening of tensions in so far as that is possible.

It would have been better if the meetings in Lisbon and Brussels had been in one place or the other. That was not possible as Lisbon wanted the treaty signed and Brussels wanted its European Council meeting and the rest of us had to travel. That is how it is. That is because Brussels was not prepared on this occasion to let up on its mandatory position on the Council meetings being held in Brussels, which was agreed many years ago. That was for obvious reasons but it is not an ideal way of having to arrange a diary. We did make that point and we were not the only country who made it but there was no agreement between Portugal and Belgium. Belgium had its election the same time as we did but still has not formed a Government. This would not have helped to form it either. I think the Deputy asked another question.

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