Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his response. I reaffirm my fears. I expect the Minister in the short term might confirm what he said regarding contracts of employment being legally binding. Those contracts of employment were based on the conditions and terms of REAs and I hope they are not deemed to be illegal based on the unconstitutionality of REAs, as the Minister rightly said. If he can confirm that with a degree of finality, without having to refer to the Attorney General, that is fine and we will accept it.

Regarding any proposed legislation that will emanate from the findings of the Attorney General in her response to this judgment, will the Minister ask for a degree of flexibility that may not be contained in the existing REAs struck some time ago that will help the sectors concerned while being cognisant of the economic realities regarding wages in those sectors? I do not decry those agreements.

I expect that any future legislation would not be deemed to be unconstitutional by any such court. However, there must be sectoral support and guarantees for those areas in which we had REAs in the first place and have continued to have them in the intervening years.

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