Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

My amendment No. 8 seeks to reposition the definition of "public service body" that applies in respect of the redeployment of Part 6A by moving it from section 2 to Part 6A of the Bill. I have already referenced that.

Amendment No. 9 is a technical amendment necessitated by amendment No. 8 and involves renumbering the section beginning with "recognised trade".

Amendment No. 10 is another technical amendment necessitated by amendment No. 8 involving the renumbering of the section beginning with "redeployment day".

Amendment No. 11 is another technical amendment necessitated by amendment No. 8 involving the renumbering of the section beginning with "a reference".

Amendment No. 18 seeks to extend the application of Schedule 3, the list of commercial semi-State bodies, to Part 6A, concerning redeployment, and Part 7A, concerning sick-leave remuneration. If accepted Schedule 3 would exclude commercial semi-State bodies and their subsidiaries from the definition of "public service body" in Parts 6A and 7A. We have had a long debate about why semi-State bodies should be treated thus. As they have their own financial regulation and operate in a commercial environment, they should not be subject to either redeployment or the sick-leave arrangements in this Bill.

The principal Act and this amending legislation both exclude the commercial State bodies from their remit. We debated this on Committee Stage. In amendment No. 19, Deputy Fleming seeks to apply the terms of the Bill to the semi-State bodies, whereas I say they should be excluded. We have had a long debate about that and I do not believe we need to go through it again.

Amendment No. 20 relates to Irish Water. Irish Water is being established as a subsidiary of Bord Gáis Éireann, which is already captured under the provision at No. 23 in the Schedule.

I know the Deputy wants to put it in to take it out, to identify it, to have it captured. It is in as an exempted body for the reason that it is a semi-State body.

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