Derek McDowell (Labour)

The provisions of the Bill are most important in the case of crisis management, significant problems or impending difficulties. I fully accept that when a major problem arises, it is open to employees or their representatives to request a meeting. Is it not sensible to provide for a regular flow of information to ensure that the onset of a crisis does not become a precondition for a meeting taking place? The ethos behind the Bill suggests that information should flow on a regular basis. In that case, it is not sufficient to hold two meetings per annum. We are dealing with two easily distinguishable, albeit not entirely distinct, issues, namely, crisis management and ordinary day-to-day or month-to-month flow of information. If information is to flow on a regular basis, meetings must be held more than twice a year.