Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Taoiseach has said there will be a Dáil debate but at the moment, as the Deputy is aware, there is provisional application. The process for ratification can take a significant period of time. I am anxious for Irish businesses to be able to take advantage of the significant opportunities CETA provides. It is important to clarify that CETA will not force any change in EU standards. It will not affect our public services, labour rights or environmental standards.

In response to what Deputy Wallace said, as I outlined in the first paragraph of the reply, we have agreed to a sustainable development project framework. CETA commits both the EU and Canada to ensure their laws and policies provide and encourage high levels of labour protections. It is established in our industrial relations machinery that if people feel they have been treated badly in their workplace then they can resort to the national protection that is provided, in this country that means the Labour Court and the Workplace Relations Commission. Breaches of labour law are covered under domestic legislation and we stand by that. We will look after our own domestic legislation on labour.

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