Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

That is what the Deputy is saying. That is part of the problem with this - people presenting it as a very simple thing that can get solved simply if the State just removes itself as a creditor. If we did that in every situation, the State would be broke in double jig time. There would be no need for redundancies, no need for statutory schemes and no need for employers to honour any of their obligations. We would incentivise a whole range of behaviour that would be unacceptable.

That said, I take on board what Deputy Louise O'Reilly and others have said. We will redouble our efforts to see if we can get this resolved. I have no issue with meeting Mandate and I will try to organise that. I said yesterday to other Deputies who raised this that the Government has been involved insofar as it can be. Within the legal framework and the constraints around liquidation, and so on, the Government has been endeavouring to find a resolution to this. Unfortunately, the Workplace Relations Commission did not come to anything, not to blame the WRC. However, its initiative, which was welcomed, did not facilitate a resolution of this. It is problematic but we are going to see what we can do.

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