asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce whether it is proposed to make legal provision for the furnishing of commercial and financial information to employees.
Ceisteanna—Questions Oral Answers. - Company Information.
78.
All companies are required by law to file an annual return with the Registrar of Companies. This return contains particulars of the directors, secretary and members, details of share capital, of registered mortagages and debentures. In additional public companies are required to attach a copy of their annual accounts to the return. These returns may be inspected by the public. Other bodies such as industrial and provident societies, friendly societies, building societies and trade unions must file an annual return of their financial position with the Registrar of Friendly Societies and these too are open to inspection by the public. To this extent certain information is already available to employees.
I have in mind for some time now the question of whether the requirements relating to the publishing of information by companies should be extended, but as it is likely that changes in this respect will in any event be necessitated by certain EEC directives which are as yet in draft form, it would be premature for me to take decisions until the EEC position becomes clearer.
Do the EEC directives contain provision whereby information will be made available to employees and employers? Would the Minister not consider the parallel legislation with that which I suggest here which is in practice in Germany where companies must provide this information to trade unions. We are going into the EEC and we should do this now. I will leave it with the Minister, adding the suggestion that he should give sympathetic consideration to it.
I appreciate the Deputy's point of view and that is why I say, as I implied in my reply earlier, that it would be premature to commit ourselves to such a decision at the moment. As Deputies know, there will be fresh legislation on these matters.