James Reilly (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I have listened with interest to Senator Nash's contribution. We all share his concern about what happened to the workers at Clerys and the unscrupulous and cynical manner in which the law was used to - let us call a spade a spade - deprive workers of their rights and a natural expectation, having given a life service to a company such as Clerys, which was iconic in Dublin, that their future in retirement would have been safe. However, I believe the Minister has made a strong case for having strong and robust legislation which should await the outcome of the review and is imminent in any event. As Senator Davitt stated, the Company Law Review Group will be very informative here as well.

All of us in the House are aware of how, despite the best of intentions, rushed legislation has untoward consequences. While I believe everyone in the House would agree with the sentiment expressed by Senator Nash, we do not want to find ourselves with unintended consequences again or with weaker legislation than we would otherwise have had, had we waited for the Company Law Review Group's report. As Senator Nash stated, that report is coming any day now. I know the Senator is anxious that we could have another situation on our hands. However, in fairness, let us have good legislation that is properly prepared and has the required effect without, in so far as we can manage it, having unforeseen consequences. We have had too many of those episodes, although they were all done with the best of intentions at the time. I, therefore, support the Minister's contention.