Arbitration (Amendment) Bill 2025: Second Stage
Seanad Éireann — 2026-05-06
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Laura Harmon (LAB), Industrial and Commercial Panel

This Bill is crazy. I really think the Government is selling the interests of the Irish people down the Swanee with this. As we have heard, the impact of it will affect future generation in terms of democracy, workers' rights and the environment. We have also heard of a potential impact in relation to housing in Ireland. For example, Canadian investment is already over-represented in our housing system. It is not difficult to imagine a situation where, one day, if we finally have a Government that invests properly in affordable housing so that rents begin to fall, an investment fund could sue the Irish State for letting rents come down. Are these the kind of loopholes we are allowing ourselves to be open to? The Government is saying that this Bill is about Ireland being open for investment. I would argue it is opening us up to being undermined or harmed. It is also opening up our democratic sovereignty.
The Labour Party has opposed this Bill at every Stage in the Dáil and here in the Seanad. We will be bringing forward further amendments with the Opposition here, not because we cannot see the benefits of trade. Of course we are pro-trade. We are pro-fair trade but we do not believe that this Bill contributes to that or that it gives a fair deal to the Irish people. We cannot overrule our Government, we cannot be overruling our legislators in relation to this. I saw the Minister of State roll his eyes as well.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-05-06/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:54+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-06