Tony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)

This amendment involves the insertion of a new section 20 and arises from EU Council Directive No. 2001/23/EC of 12 March 2001. It relates to the safeguarding of employees rights in the event of transfers of undertakings or businesses or parts thereof. In all, a total of nine optional provisions arose from that requirement. Only one of these has been agreed with the social partners in respect of transposing it into legislation. We have decided to avail of the opportunity presented by this Bill to transpose that provisional option.

Under a Government commitment contained in Sustaining Progress, the Department was also required to consult with the social partners and revert to Government for decisions on whether to transpose all or any of the optional provisions. This consultation process was carried out last year and I am finalising a memorandum for Government on the other optional requirements. This requirement has been agreed and I thought it sensible to include it at this stage.