Joe O'Toole (Independent)

I echo the words of the Minister of State and thank him and his officials for the work they have put into this Bill. I remind the House that much of the work in this area has been done as part of the partnership process. Representatives of both IBEC and the ICTU sat down with departmental officials to discuss this issue and worked at European level on the translation of the EU directive. While certain aspects of the legislation need to be sorted out, I acknowledge the fact that the Minister of State was so open to Opposition amendments. I am sure Senator Coghlan will support me in this regard. The Minister of State listened to issues of concern and both he and his officials were quite open to new ideas. This experience emphasises the importance of Seanad debates on these issues and the importance of initiating this type of legislation in this House, where changes can be made with less political conflict than is found in the other House. I thank the Minister of State and his officials once more.