David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Obviously we are in dramatically changed circumstances since 2018 and none of us knows where it will go or end up. There is a huge amount of unpredictability here. The number of people on the minimum wage has been stated to be 164,000. There has been huge growth in employment. Walking around this city and many towns in Ireland, staff-wanted notices are visible in many places. Why has the competitiveness in the labour market not increased wages if people can change jobs and get a better wage? Hotels and restaurants are crying out for staff, at least they were until recently. Whether that will continue is another issue because they may not be able to keep going because of other factors, such as energy costs and so forth. The figure of 164,000, the number of people at work-----