Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I have numbers now. I did get them. In 2020, there were 48,188 people on the scheme. In 2021, there were 45,365 people on it. In 2022, it came back up again to 47,115 people. I do not have projections as to how many more there will be and I will not know until applications come in. We will advertise it to make sure as many people are aware of it and that they can apply for it. The wages are going up and we are in a tighter labour market now. Obviously, employers are paying more. I was speaking to someone this morning who said employers do not actually pay the minimum wage now and that they pay well above it. The shops are saying they have to do this to get the staff.