Sinn Féin bill to close businesses during red weather alerts 'not workable' says Government
The Government says it cannot support Sinn Féin legislation that would see most workplaces automatically closed during a status red weather alert.
The Extreme Weather Bill would also make it illegal for companies to penalise staff who don not come into work during such alerts.
Sinn Féin says it will bring clarity to the situation after some firms docked the pay of staff following Storm Emma.
Minister of State Pat Breen says the proposal is unworkable.
He said: "Only in very extreme circumstance would a red alert give rise to any form of business closures.
"The provisions of the bill are not workable either from a legal or practical perspective.
"The bill assumes that there will always be advanced notification of status red weather warnings, which is not always the case."
