John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)

In the course of introducing this Bill and ensuring that everyone was consulted on it I went out of my way to involve Members. In the course of the various Stages in this House and the Dáil I discussed matters with them and assured them we could debate the annual report either in the Seanad or at the Joint Committee on Enterprise and Small Business. I believe legislation in this hugely important area will always be a work in progress and I have every intention of ensuring that the consultation process continues. I hope the Seanad or the Joint Committee on Enterprise and Small Business uses the opportunity each year to debate the annual report because through such a debate we could find ways of improving the report and addressing issues that arise from this legislation or the report. I again assure Members of this House that I will continue this process and work with them to ensure we have an opportunity to discuss the annual report.