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

I will respond to Deputy Howlin's point first. He knows that when we frame legislation, we have to create a framework for eventualities in the future when certain things may happen that we cannot yet comprehend. There must be some framework over the process of association to cover potential future eventualities. Suffice to say that the direction of travel is clearly one of representation and giving statutory underpinning to an association with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, ICTU, which is what we are doing. The idea of putting a framework around that is not unreasonable.

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