Tony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)

The amendment seeks to impose an additional obligation on the parties to work in a spirit of co-operation when preparing for or entering negotiations as well as when defining or implementing the practical arrangements for information or consultation. We all certainly would wish it were the case, but the legal advice I received suggests it does not strengthen the legislation; it is unnecessary, it is considered unlikely to add much to the process and goes beyond the requirement of the directive.