David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 71:

In page 38, lines 36 and 37, to delete "any trade union of which the agency worker is a member" and substitute "specified persons".

Although this amendment proposes to deleted the reference to trade union representation, it may be appropriate to retain it. The amendment was suggested to me by Senator Gerard Craughwell, and we may well put down an amendment on Report Stage which tweaks the proposal in order to include the original reference as well as the new reference to "specified persons". The intention here is to permit a solicitor, as well as a trade union or other representative, to submit claims on behalf of a client. This could be important where, for example, a person has difficulty with reading, writing or comprehending a very complicated form. Some complaints can be quite technical and an adviser might well need to assist the complainant in completing the documentation and submitting it online. To avoid problems, it is reasonable to amend the section to extend the cohort of persons who can submit a complaint. The intention is clearly to extend the possibilities of representation, not to prevent trade union representatives from performing that role. Our concern is to ensure complainants have access to the assistance they need.