Mr. Ciarán Nugent:

It is also important to point out that somewhere in the region of 80% of workers in that sector receive below the adequate living wage. The State already has to intervene on the incomes of these workers. They are twice as represented among working HAP recipients, for example. Approximately 8% of the workforce is employed in hospitality but approximately 16% or 17% of working HAP recipients are hospitality workers. There are other issues about adequacy in terms of a career and a standard of living over that career. Even in the west and particular areas in Galway and Mayo, the share of employment is rarely above 10% or 11%. The gap between the average wage in accommodation and food and the next lowest out of 16 sectors is 40%. They are massively underpaid compared with any other sector in Ireland. Other developed countries do not subsidise this sector.