Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

One of the changes that we are introducing under the Oireachtas reform proposal is to make periodic reviews of legislation. Sometimes, we do not see how enacted legislation impacts. Parts of some Acts have never been commenced. Even legislators often do not know this.

I have no difficulty with the notion of a review of this Bill, but I want such a review to be meaningful. A sufficient body of work will be necessary, as this legislation will be difficult to bed down. As the Senator knows, the Labour Relations Commission, LRC, has begun the work of drafting guidelines. We need to disseminate those guidelines to workers and employers.

We want to talk to both sides of industry as well as the public service to ensure there is knowledge of the Act. We want to see how it impacts subsequently and is followed through. It will take a while to see how the reporting mechanisms are followed through, so I do not want to put in a timeline that is of little use to us. If the review points to the need for it, we will bring in further legislative change. We need a meaningful, impactful review and I am open to the wisdom of the Houses as to the most useful effective timeline involved.