Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I support the amendment as I did on Committee Stage, because it is a very sensible one. The Minister referred to double payment in regard to compensation on Committee Stage. Perhaps we should tease it out, but if a person is awarded €60,000, or two years' pay, on the basis of an unfair dismissal, the return of the social welfare payments should be on top of that. If the social welfare payments were €20,000 in that two years, it should be €60,000 plus €20,000. That would set the minds of some employers in regard to dismissing somebody that they have to be on strong grounds to do it. A significant number of cases are found to be unfair dismissals. People are blacklisted in respect of future jobs when they take on employers in relation to unfair dismissals. Perhaps that could be teased out. The Minister said that if someone was awarded €60,000, the €20,000 would be taken out of it. It should be on top of it. I support the amendment, which the Minister should seriously consider as it provides money to the State rather than taking it from it.

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