Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left) | Oireachtas source

While the complaints being made by Opposition Deputies might be tiresome, there is a real legitimacy to them. Deputy Calleary was on his feet when he got the letter telling him that his amendments were ruled out of order. We all got the same letter. As Deputy Wallace was the representative of the Technical Group on Committee Stage, some of the amendments that were tabled in his name belonged to other people, including me. Deputy Tóibín has accurately observed that at the start of the Committee Stage debate, people flagged the idea that certain amendments would be tabled on Report Stage and the Chairman of the committee said that was completely in order. As we got to our feet this morning, we were told that the amendments are not in order. It is simply not an acceptable method of doing business.

The validity of these amendments is entirely appropriate and relevant to this Bill. We are talking about the functioning of the new workplace relations machinery. As things stand, key groups of workers who are concerned about their pension entitlements will be excluded from that. Ministers from the various relevant Departments have accepted that this is the case. The longer we delay on this issue, the more people will be denied their voice in that machinery. It is criminal that we are not even being allowed to discuss these amendments. As Deputy Calleary said, the aim of these amendments is to ensure the commission we are establishing will introduce a mechanism to give people who clearly have a link with their employments a way of having their grievances dealt with. I think the Minister of State should address the issues raised in the amendments we are being prevented from proposing. I reiterate that the way the Department has been running this legislation as it has moved between the committee and this Chamber is really inappropriate.

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