Mairead Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister. I must say that the issue of the €81,000 increase has caused absolute public outcry and outrage. As I have said to the Minister before, the decision to grant that increase was completely out of touch. People are struggling at the moment. It was of interest that over the past two weeks, the Taoiseach and the Minister of State, Deputy Fleming, raised concerns about wage spiralling when the impact of inflation on the rise of the cost of living was put to them. It seems those concerns will impact decisions on whether lower paid workers will see increases in their wages. I recall that the Minister felt that the increase for the Secretary General position was necessary in order to ensure international competition for the job. I note that the Minister of State, Deputy Fleming, said last week that he was concerned that increasing wages would impact our competitiveness. It is ironic. It seems to me that the Government is only concerned about wage increases impacting competitiveness and wage spiralling when it comes to low-paid workers rather than those at the higher end - the elites who already have vast sums of money coming into their pockets each month. It is different for the ordinary person who is struggling to put food on the table and keep the lights on. What is the Minister's view on that point?