Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)

I welcome the chance to say a few words on the Bill. It is strange we are debating a Bill to improve services for people who have been made redundant and relations between employees and employers while the proposers of the Bill are campaigning against a treaty that will bring stability to the country. Stability is the best way to protect jobs and prevent redundancies. The timing of this debate is amusing.

I understand the sentiment of the Bill. Every Deputy agrees that the more one can do to help employees and employee-employer relations the better, but there must also be a balance. I have said on previous occasions that we must have a balance between the employer and employees. As well as protecting jobs and putting services in place when people lose their jobs, we must also win and create new jobs. We must create an environment that will help that. A foreign employer considering investing in Ireland will ask a number of questions. The first question will be how we voted in the fiscal treaty, because that is about stability and securing our position in Europe. I will not dwell on that, but an outside employer will ask that question.

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