Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

That is done based on the recommendations of the Low Pay Commission. The commission has examined this on several occasions and has removed some of the sub-minimum rates in recent years. The theory or argument behind it is that having sub-minimum or lower rates ensures that people who have no experience or who have never worked before can have the opportunity to get employment. That is the thinking behind having a lower rate. It is to create opportunities for people to get work experience and employment who otherwise would not if they were paid at the same rate as younger workers who are a little older. I am unsure whether I agree with that, frankly, but that is the rationale or theory behind it.

I will come back to the Deputy on ventilation but I am keen to correct myself. There is a legal basis to it. The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 2007 require employers to ensure an adequate supply of fresh air ventilation in enclosed areas of the workplace. This can be done through three means. One is natural ventilation, relying on passive airflow through windows, doors and air vents that can be fully or partially opened. That is the simplest way to do it. Mechanical ventilation involving fans, ducts and window fans can be used to bring in fresh air from the outside. The third means is a combination of natural and mechanical ventilation, for example, where mechanical ventilation relies on natural ventilation to maximise fresh air. There is a legal basis to it, but I will come back to the Deputy with more detail about the practical enforceability thereof, which, I think, is what the Deputy is asking about.

I note that this time last year indoor dining was open. People were working in that setting protected with masks. None of the customers at that point were vaccinated. It is now being proposed by NPHET that we move to a situation whereby all customers would be vaccinated or immune. Notwithstanding the increased transmissibility of the Delta variant it would be a far safer scenario than the one we asked hospitality workers to work in this time last year.