Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Minister has not advanced her position since Committee Stage. I accept that. We are now in the arena where the Minister has to take a position on what is in the preliminary legal advice. I appreciate that. However, there are other channels of communication, through her departmental officials and stakeholders out there in the ether who are very interested in this legislation, whereupon some perspectives may be shared on that very same preliminary legal advice. I am sure plenty of channels are open. It will be another while yet before this legislation will be concluded. I anticipate, and say this absolutely respectfully, that the line the Minister took on Committee Stage and is taking now will be the same line that will be repeated when the Bill is taken in the Seanad. I do not say that in any cynical way. I am just being straight and blunt about that. It would be very useful to have some insight into the legal advice.

I reiterate that what we are trying to do is create the firewall provision. I made the case on Committee Stage that we do not have an auto-enrolment scheme up and running. We can take on board perspectives from the UK, but I am not sure that is a suitable evidence base because it is a different country and a different set of circumstances. Although the UK is quite related culturally and so on, it is not Ireland. The stronger the primary legislation is in protecting against a diminution of existing pension schemes, the better it will ultimately be for workers.

That is the simple case I am making here.

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