Results 5,301-5,320 of 12,298 for speaker:Paul Murphy

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the Companies (Protection of Employees' Rights in Liquidations) Bill 2021: Discussion (6 Jul 2022)

Paul Murphy: I thank the witnesses for their presentations. First, I pay tribute to the Debenhams workers for their struggle. The very least the Dáil can do is to rapidly work through and pass this legislation and to try to make sure that no future workers are put in the situation they were in. We went through the Clerys situation and then with Debenhams everybody said if only we had done what we...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the Companies (Protection of Employees' Rights in Liquidations) Bill 2021: Discussion (6 Jul 2022)

Paul Murphy: Ms McElwee also made the case, which I do not dispute, that Debenhams was in compliance with the law. She is not saying that Debenhams broke the law.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the Companies (Protection of Employees' Rights in Liquidations) Bill 2021: Discussion (6 Jul 2022)

Paul Murphy: She is also against changing the law.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the Companies (Protection of Employees' Rights in Liquidations) Bill 2021: Discussion (6 Jul 2022)

Paul Murphy: Ms McElwee's opposition to this proposal is based on the inequality that could potentially be created, in her view, between workers.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the Companies (Protection of Employees' Rights in Liquidations) Bill 2021: Discussion (6 Jul 2022)

Paul Murphy: I will address that because Ms McElwee has made that point a couple of times. She has said that the effect of the Bill would be to change the order of creditors and that suppliers could, therefore, lose out. It is also the case that the State did not have anything to do with the contract between suppliers and Debenhams in this case. Why on earth is Mc McElwee insisting that it is a problem...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the Companies (Protection of Employees' Rights in Liquidations) Bill 2021: Discussion (6 Jul 2022)

Paul Murphy: That is correct but it means there is no basis for the point Ms McElwee is making that there is some problem here because the State was not involved in negotiating these collective agreements. The State was also not involved in the contracts between the creditors, supplier and the company. There is no basis for that position.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the Companies (Protection of Employees' Rights in Liquidations) Bill 2021: Discussion (6 Jul 2022)

Paul Murphy: We are just re-ordering the issue of creditors. I do not understand why the idea that the State has no hand in the collective agreements would have any relevance.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the Companies (Protection of Employees' Rights in Liquidations) Bill 2021: Discussion (6 Jul 2022)

Paul Murphy: The benefit we have in the Dáil is that we get to write the law. We can, therefore, change the law to say that workers absolutely do take precedence in this situation. On the other points about-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the Companies (Protection of Employees' Rights in Liquidations) Bill 2021: Discussion (6 Jul 2022)

Paul Murphy: Can I ask another question about the inequality of workers? Would Ms McElwee agree if we were to amend the legislation so that in all collective redundancy agreements, be they in insolvency situations or not, workers should take priority and have a legal right to those agreements?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the Companies (Protection of Employees' Rights in Liquidations) Bill 2021: Discussion (6 Jul 2022)

Paul Murphy: But this is not about the State paying for it and that is why there is a lot of confusion in what Ms McElwee is saying. She repeatedly refers to the State. This is talking about the company paying for it. She is saying that there is an issue-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the Companies (Protection of Employees' Rights in Liquidations) Bill 2021: Discussion (6 Jul 2022)

Paul Murphy: Can I finish the question? Ms McElwee is saying that there is an issue in terms of inequality of workers. If we accept that point, would she agree that we raise all workers?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the Companies (Protection of Employees' Rights in Liquidations) Bill 2021: Discussion (6 Jul 2022)

Paul Murphy: Would she agree with raising all workers in order to address the issue of inequality that she mentioned?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the Companies (Protection of Employees' Rights in Liquidations) Bill 2021: Discussion (6 Jul 2022)

Paul Murphy: We could amend the Bill. Let us be clear. Is IBEC asking us to amend it so that all workers receive that right?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the Companies (Protection of Employees' Rights in Liquidations) Bill 2021: Discussion (6 Jul 2022)

Paul Murphy: No, she does not and that is the point. It is that she wants an equality of misery and not to have workers' rights to be raised.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the Companies (Protection of Employees' Rights in Liquidations) Bill 2021: Discussion (6 Jul 2022)

Paul Murphy: I have one final question. Fundamentally, the bottom-line point is that IBEC is in favour of companies like Debenhams being able to walk away from negotiated agreements with workers in insolvency situation. Ms McElwee is saying that this situation should continue.

Back to School Costs: Motion [Private Members] (5 Jul 2022)

Paul Murphy: I thank Sinn Féin for bringing forward this very important motion. I attended an event last week organised by the Children's Rights Alliance to discuss the issue of child poverty, including the issue of the cost of education. It is striking that Ireland is the fifth richest country in the world on a GDP per capitabasis, but one in nine children in the State live in constant poverty....

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wildlife Protection (5 Jul 2022)

Paul Murphy: 229. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the reason a three-month derogation extension until the end of July 2022 was granted for the shooting of wild birds, including wood pigeon; the scientific evidence of serious crop damage that is being used to justify the derogation; and, if no such scientific evidence exists, if he will cancel the derogation. [35716/22]

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Expenditure (5 Jul 2022)

Paul Murphy: 325. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the amount of money that has been paid for Ireland’s participation in NATO’s operational capability concept on an annual basis since Ireland joined Partnership for Peace (details supplied). [35253/22]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Flexible Work Practices (5 Jul 2022)

Paul Murphy: 334. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason in relation to circular No. 0039/2022 (details supplied), very high-risk persons are being forced to return to the workplace and are not being facilitated with continued remote working, considering the continued prevalence of Covid-19 and the high risk facing these workers. [35258/22]

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Support Services (5 Jul 2022)

Paul Murphy: 392. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of participants who have started on the work placement experience programme; the number who are currently registered; the number of persons who have finished placements; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35523/22]