Tony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)

I have checked with Parliamentary Counsel about the effect of amendment No. 10 which would de facto move what is in section 6(3) to the top of that section, 6(1). I am satisfied that what Senators Quinnn and Coghlan are trying to achieve is already the de facto situation.

I was concerned about the equal weight given to election and appointment and would like to have had more time to consider the point. However, that is not quite the issue in these amendments.

We had a long discussion on section 6 on Committee Stage. It could only ever represent the best balance we could achieve between the various interests. For the purpose of information consultation all employees in the undertaking elect or appoint the relevant number of representatives and the representational role is clearly confined to employees in that undertaking. That covers the concern raised in amendments Nos. 11 and 13, which sought to insert "in that employment", which is superfluous.

With regard to amendments Nos. 12 and 14 the Labour Court is a highly respected industrial relations body and it is as safe a place as possible to which to refer a matter of this nature. The concerns expressed in those amendments are not well-founded. We have struck a particularly good balance in a tricky situation with section 6.