Michael McNamara (Clare, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Today, Northern Ireland's utility regulator produced a report stating that the cost of energy for manufacturers - it might be different for retailers, but I would expect the figures to be similar - is higher in Northern Ireland than it is in the South. What proportion of our guests' overall costs is constituted by wages? I am sorry, as I am not a mathematician, but the percentage would need to be high - I accept that wages are higher in the South - if it could account for a 14% higher product cost without a greater profit margin.