Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister said one thing that was a little concerning. He stated it was not a mandatory target, which is fine, as I know it is not. However, he might indicate in his response if the 80% target, mandatory or not, will be the one the Government aims for. Does he believe the 80% coverage is desirable and should be the end goal for the transposition of this directive?

At the enterprise, trade and employment committee recently, the ICTU and IBEC gave a presentation on their own interpretations of the directive. There were differences in opinion from both groups as to how much legislation might be required and how this will be transposed. There were definitely diverging opinions between workers and business as to whether legislation will be necessary to give effect to this. It would be helpful if the Minister could give us an update or idea as to when this will be published, although I appreciate it is not due until the end of next year. I also welcome his opinion as to whether the 80% target is a desirable one for the Government or if it is seen as something of an optional extra.

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