Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Daly for raising the issue of the review of the Protection of Employees (Employers’ Insolvency) Act. I have circulated a response but I would rather have a conversation with him than read a scripted response on this. As a member of a trade union for many years, I understand the Deputy's and the families' frustration at not being able to get the repayment that I also believe they are entitled to. The response outlines the legislation we are working through. I will not read it for the Deputy because it might be a bit insulting as he has been arguing this point very strongly for the last two years and there is a level of frustration.

I reassure him that my Department has been reviewing the situation. It has been consulting with a range of interested parties, including the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement; the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation; and the Revenue Commissioners to establish what, if anything, can be done to progress payments to individuals in this situation. To date, officials from the Department have had one formal meeting with various parties mentioned above in connection with the issues and it continues to engage with relevant parties to try and progress the matter. Given the difficult legal issues that need to be addressed, I am not in a position to indicate when this review will be completed. However, I will take this up.

Deputy Daly has articulated very clearly his concern for these 12 families and many other families and I will be happy to meet with him to see if we can progress this further. The finishing line for this Government is early next year and I believe the Deputy is anxious that we are able to resolve it for these families and many others. I am happy to sit down with him and my officials, give him an up-to-date report and see whether we can make progress on this very important issue. I was not aware that the Deputy was going to raise the individual case. If I was, I would have come much better prepared to respond to the situation of those people in Deputy Daly's constituency and many more who are caught in that situation.

It is a very complicated situation in respect of legislation. There are many Acts involved, as illustrated in the circulated response. Deputy Daly is correct in raising the issue today. Let us see whether we can work together over the next five months to bring this to a speedy resolution. I thank him for raising an important issue. Sometimes members of the public believe that those who shout loudest get the most, but we must ensure that everybody is treated equally, whether the television cameras are on the case or not. These 12 families are as important as those who were affected by what happened with Clerys and I am happy that we can work out a resolution in some way to speed up the case.

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