With regard to the Debenhams workers, the Taoiseach has been asked when he will bring forward legislation to protect workers in such situations. He replied by saying that he has done what he can within the law. When will the Taoiseach change the law so the Debenhams workers and other workers in such situations are properly protected?

As has been stated in the House, the Tánaiste has initiated a review of the legislation on company law in respect of these issues. It is hoped that the review will be completed before the end of the year. I would caution though, that the review in itself may not be a panacea for what happened in the Debenhams case. Clearly, it is not directly applicable to Debenhams. The area I am most interested in is to see what prioritisation can be given in a liquidation scenario where there are sustainable and clear collective bargaining agreements?

The €3 million offer for retraining is an insult to Debenhams workers. The failure by the Government to ensure justice for these workers is appalling. I remind the Taoiseach that he said he could not put money on the table because it would set a precedent. A sum of €18 million is owed to the State by Debenhams. The Taoiseach did not mind setting a precedent when it came to bailing out banks to the tune of €64 billion. There was no moral hazard there, and no worry about the implications, but when it comes to workers who have worked for decades, who have done nothing wrong, and who are entitled to the two plus two agreed with Debenhams, we cannot underwrite them. We cannot guarantee to give them what they deserve, which is what even now the Government should do, and then it should pursue Debenhams. The Government is just standing idly by while saying there is nothing it can do for these workers, who are the most decent people one could imagine, and who have worked for this company, which has betrayed them cruelly.

I thank Deputy Boyd Barrett. The time is up. I call on the Taoiseach to respond.

Deputy Boyd Barrett is acting the populist.

I am not.

Yes, the Deputy is.

I am just sick of it.

I am sickened by the way Deputy Boyd Barrett leads people up the hill all the time, pretending there are easy simplistic solutions when he knows in his heart-----

It was for the banks-----

I will talk to the Deputy about the banks. The banks were not bailed out.

They were.

Shareholders in the banks were not bailed out. The State took equity. The shareholders were not bailed out. That is not a popular thing to say, but it is a fact. Deputy Boyd Barrett never wants to hear the facts because he lives in a fantasy economic wonderland. If his party ever got into power, thousands of jobs would migrate from this country. That is the reality.

I said to Deputy Boyd Barrett that we would do everything we possibly could within the law. I accept that revenue and social protection is owed by the company, but they cannot just do a sort of side deal and forget the legal accountability to the State and to this House. The law was passed that they have to recover what is owed to them.

I thank the Taoiseach.

Otherwise, one would have a situation where company after company would start reneging on social protection.

I am afraid the time is up.

That is to protect the Social Insurance Fund. Why is the Social Insurance Fund important? It is so that the State can pay €13 million in statutory redundancy to the Debenhams workers-----

The time is up.

-----and to other workers who become redundant. It is about time Deputy Boyd Barrett had a bit of honesty in his presentation on these issues rather than just playing to the gallery every single day and pretending there is a great, easy solution if only the Government would do what it can easily do.

I thank the Taoiseach.

Deputy Boyd Barrett knows full well that is not the case.

The Government has had 250 days.