Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)

In the context of Deputy Higgins's question on the employment law compliance Bill, I remind the Taoiseach that this time last year the Government took its eye off the ball regarding the Lisbon treaty and that there is a package of proposals related to legislative development that must take place before there is any further vote, if that is the way the Government is going. Has the Taoiseach included the legislation regarding the temporary agency workers Bill and will the services directive legislation, which has to be implemented, be transposed into domestic legislation by the end of this year? These should be front-loaded into the legislative programme well before the summer if we are to deal properly with the area of workers' rights and provision of that nature that will be required.

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