Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)

I thank the Deputy for his generous words of congratulation and I look forward to a fruitful exchange with Deputy O'Dea. He has immense experience and I am sure he will bring that to bear on our work at this important time. Legislative proposals will be needed and the timescale hinges on getting the drafting done and getting the necessary legislative time. That rules my ambition to get this through as quickly as possible. I have an advantage in that the previous Government had some legislation prepared dealing with some elements prior to this review being initiated. That is the vehicle that can be used with suitable amendments. Hopefully it will shorten the period.

The inconsistent approach to atypical hours has been raised as an issue. The terms of reference were set by the previous Government and explicitly referred to anomalies, obsolete provisions and inflexibilities. It also considered whether there was a need to move to a more streamlined approach in many of these areas. There are proposals to make changes in these areas and we must make decisions on their implementation. I will not be indicating these until I discuss it with my colleagues, publish a report and get reaction generally.

Wherever there is change in respect of JLCs and REAs, it will apply generally rather than only to new entrants. These tools set employment orders for an entire sector. It does not follow that they would only apply to new entrants. It is a way of making the system more flexible. I am conscious of challenges to the system, and clearly some of the legislative proposals prepared were with a view to making it more robust. There has been criticism of the way the system operates. We must respond to any finding in the High Court appropriately.

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