Vol. 438 No. 4
33 Mr. O'Malley asked the Minister for Enterprise and Employment the Government's policy in relation to the current debate at European Union level, which suggests that increased labour market flexibility would help to promote employment creation.
As the Deputy will appreciate, the debate on labour market flexibility in the context of the maintenance of existing jobs and the creation of new ones is complex and value-laden.
Amongst the most recent contributions to the debate at European Union level are the White Paper on Growth, Competitiveness and Employment and the Green Paper on Social Policy.
In so far as my Department is concerned, the broad lines of our approach are:
—that the operation of the labour market in the European Union should be critically examined with a view to identifying how to increase its flexibility and having regard to social protection;
—that employment-friendly working practices should be encouraged;
—and that the whole area of non-traditional working should be examined.
In the European Union arena, my Department will take every opportunity to ensure that labour market flexibility is taken account of in a balanced way, so as to maximise the employment potential of Union proposals, with due regard to the legitimate concerns of employees.
