Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation
Dail Éireann — 2020-11-12
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Leo Varadkar (FG), Dublin West

We have discussed it many times, although not at the Cabinet this week. The Taoiseach, the Ministers of State, Deputies English and Troy, and I have been involved in this. There has been a huge amount of engagement with Mandate, ICTU and, to the extent possible, with the liquidator. I have been in direct contact with Debenhams UK. We have done a lot to try to bring about a solution to this. Most recently, the Workplace Relations Commission, an office under my remit, brought together KPMG and Mandate to see if a solution could be brokered.
The fundamental problem is one that we cannot really get around. Debenhams Ireland went bust and, in doing so, left a lot of money owing to a lot of people, not just the workers but other businesses, the Revenue Commissioners and local authorities. There is not enough money left over to go around and to give everyone what they deserve. That is the truth of it. That is what happens in a liquidation process, unfortunately, and with every day that this goes on there is less money left in the pot because the liquidator has to pay for security and continue to pay rent.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2020-11-12/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:48:47+00:00
Sitting date: 2020-11-12