Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Later this afternoon I will be dealing with the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Bill to deal with these issues and I hope for Government support on that.

I want to raise a matter relating to different legislation. The Government intends to bring forward the industrial relations (amendment) Bill as a priority. The proposal would amend the Industrial Relations Act 1990 to give An Garda Síochána representative associations access to the State industrial relations organisations, such as the Workplace Relations Commission and the Labour Court. I understand that the heads of the Bill were approved in September. We still await a date for pre-legislative scrutiny. I understand that some consideration was given to broadening the scope of the Bill to give coverage to the representative associations of the Defence Forces. I have two simple questions. When will the industrial relations (amendment) Bill come before the House? Will the Taoiseach extend right of access to the State's industrial relations institutions not only to the representative associations of An Garda Síochána but to those of our Defence Forces as well?

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