Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am glad to have an opportunity to say a few words on this Bill. I congratulate the Minister and Minister of State on bringing it forward in good time. It is progressive and positive. It supports industry and companies that give employment. It is necessary. As a result of it coming before the House, jobs will definitely be saved. The investment is good and will benefit all of our people and our economy at large.

As I said with regard to another Bill yesterday, I hope it will be possible to revisit this legislation if issues arise over the course of the next three, four or five months and if deficiencies still need to be addressed. I recognise that there is a sunset clause in the Bill but that it can, and will, be renewed as necessary. It should not be necessary to wait until the end of December. In the interim period, the situation should be monitored with a view to identifying any snags that might appear. Let us see how it is working. If it is working effectively and efficiently in the manner the Government intended, that is fine. If it is not and if voids appear, we should be prepared to look at it again to see what can be done.

If I may digress for a moment, previous speakers made reference to the situation in respect of Debenhams. I agree with them. It is sad to see cases such as this and the Clerys case previously. People who worked for these companies, for almost their entire working lives in some cases, find themselves out on the road because of an executive decision. Although this decision was made in a non-EU jurisdiction, it is mean not to accept the normal responsibilities with regard to redundancies. That goes without saying and needs to be borne in mind.

I do not know whether anything can be done about the Debenhams case from a legislative perspective at this stage. I know there are many reasons for the decision and that trading issues arise from time to time but there may be more such cases, especially in light of Brexit. We need to be very cautious, careful and watchful with regard to what may emerge in the future. We need to be absolutely certain that, in the event of other companies taking a similar route in the context of Brexit, some preparations will have been made.

I will again bring Brexit into the discussion because it is part and parcel of this matter. Along the Border, as and from now, businesses here that compete with businesses in Northern Ireland may find themselves in something of a difficulty. Businesses will obviously register themselves wherever they see their position being safest. In the situation which will emerge as we come to the end of this year and in light of the obvious implications of Brexit, we will have to be very watchful as to how our companies are progressing and to ensure they progress rather than running into the proverbial brick wall. I ask the Minister of State to keep that in mind with a view to identifying issues as they arise and dealing with them insofar as that is possible.

It is necessary to deal with the issues with which the Bill aims to deal. I was in the House when the original Companies Act 2014 went through the House and when subsequent amending Acts were discussed. We have lived a lot in recent years. Business, industry, the general public, employers and employees have lived an awful lot of life in the last ten years. They have faced more challenges than they ever faced before. I have no doubt but that when Brexit, the virus and normal business challenges are added up, enormous issues will arise which we may have to revisit. We need to be ready for such situations and we need to be able to deal with them resolutely as and when they arise.

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