Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We have gone all around the world. I hope we will end up with an agreement. I will not come back on Report Stage. I will write to the WRC in the morning asking it to review the statutory code of practice of the Organisation of Working Time Act. I will give Members copies of the letter. I will not do what Members normally insist on in the course of the social welfare Bill, which is to put a three-month timeframe on the review. I will ask the WRC how quickly it thinks the review could be done and I will come back to Members and be honest with them. It should not take any longer than four or five months. The social welfare Bill is amended every year so the worst case scenario we are talking about is next October. The amendment should be to the legislation affecting part-time workers, so if there is a requirement to change the code of practice that is on a statutory footing and we can do that with a statutory instrument. If we need to change the legislation we can draft an amendment to it. I will write to the WRC, which does not have a head at the moment - I hope that will not matter - and we will see how quickly it can carry out a review.