Feargal Quinn (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I have just come from the launch of the document on low pay, decent work and the living wage produced by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Jobs, Innovation and Enterprise. We should find time to debate this document as it is quite a balanced report. Our colleague, Senator Cullinane, was the rapporteur for it and balanced it very well. One of the concerns is that in attempting to bring the living wage up to a level that would be acceptable, we could damage jobs. Employers might find that if they had to pay an awful lot more, they would not be able to do what they would like to do. I believe this discussion did take place in organising the report and it would be very valuable to have a debate on the topic in this House in the new year.

I am stunned that, although some time that has passed since the last floods took place in 2009, very little has been done to attempt to solve the problems. Is it possible to get help from abroad? I think particularly of the Netherlands, which lie very low, below sea level. The people there do not have this problem as they solved it many years ago. There must be expertise around the world, not just in Athlone as Senator Kelly has said. We should have a debate on this quite soon.