Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Ms O'Toole referred to her concerns about the independence of the commission and that it may not survive another Government. I ask if she could expand on that view. What are the key factors that have driven the gender pay gap? What can this legislation do to address it?

The majority of employers - in excess of 90% - are compliant and more than compliant with legislation. Ms Lynch referred to compliance rates. However, the NERA figures are not necessarily pay-related compliance issues but rather issues around paperwork. These are serious issues but they are not necessarily pay-related. Many employers, particularly SMEs, cannot pay themselves the minimum wage because of the pressures on their businesses in recent years. They have kept people in employment without paying themselves. They have paid employees by dipping into their own savings or pensions or by selling off assets. What would the delegation's message be to those employers who may take some umbrage at these presentations when they themselves are not even getting the minimum wage?