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

On the final question, we have secured an additional €8 million for staff next year. Given they will not all be hired on 1 January, the figure is higher because those additional staff will be hired throughout the course of the year, but that will have to be divided among the Department and all our agencies, including the Health and Safety Authority, the Workplace Relations Commission, IDA, Enterprise Ireland and so on, and we will have to work out how that will be done. It will definitely mean more staff in all those agencies but we will have to divide the cake over the coming weeks and work out how best to apportion that additional staffing complement.

On the 60% of median proposal, I reiterate this is the recommendation of the Low Pay Commission and there is no Government decision on it as yet. It is out to public consultation at the moment, but the recommendation of the commission is unanimous.

All the worker representatives, business representatives, academics and independents signed up to the proposal, which is to achieve 60% of median earnings first and then move forward to 66% of median earnings thereafter. It is intended for that to happen over four years, with 2023 being year one. We would be done by 2027. However, it could be done more quickly if economic conditions allow and it might take longer if they do not. The reason they went for 60% first was that in the research - and this is not my personal opinion - there is some evidence that a move above 60% starts to impact on employment. We in Ireland have been successful in increasing wages, and workers' rights and terms and conditions, for years now without any negative impact on employment. There have never been more people at work in Ireland than there are now.