Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Duplicity is also at the heart of the Clerys debacle. Almost a month has passed since the staff and concession holders of Clerys were turfed out onto the street by liquidators. All they have received from the Labour Party so far is a two-faced response. The Tánaiste and her Government colleagues have described the actions of the new employers as absolutely despicable, insensitive and appalling. The Tánaiste borrowed a phrase from the failed Labour Party leader in England, Ed Miliband, when she said that these actions represented predatory capitalism. Her comments stand in contrast with what the other face of the Labour Party, the Minister of State for inertia, Deputy Nash, said when he published his report on the liquidation of Clerys earlier this week. Even though the report in question provides a textbook analysis of a tactical insolvency delivered with merciless precision, astoundingly the Minister of State has said there is nothing to see here. Shockingly, he has also said there are no deficiencies at all in the legislative framework. If the State is on the hook for millions of euro with regard to the redundancies of workers who have been treated in a despicable manner, how in God's name can anybody accept that there are no deficiencies in the legislative framework in this State? The truth is that the legislation in this State, under the stewardship of this Government, incentivises ruthless employers to go down the route of separating out companies so that they can use tactical insolvency to insulate themselves from their responsibilities to this State and to their workers. The Tánaiste's approach of talking tough while doing nothing is tactical deception on her part. The strong words she used yesterday contrast sharply with the inertia of the Minister of State. There is a disagreement here. Who is right? Is everything fine and dandy with regard to legislation, or will the Government legislate to resolve this case?

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