Ms Alice-Mary Higgins:

If we address the issues of hours, secure contracts and progression, those issues are related to it. The work of child care is a separate but absolutely vital issue. The issue of progression also is deeply affected by the question of child care. As to how this legislation will make a difference, the very fact of examining low pay and minimum pay and in particular, if the commission looks beyond the hourly rate to weekly or monthly pay, as well as examining security of contract, security of hours and predictable hours, this will make a huge difference for women. The very fact that so many women are on such incredibly low incomes means it will make a difference to the gender pay gap when the minimum wage is adjusted. Moreover, adjusting conditions and providing more secure conditions also could have a huge effect.

If I may, I also wish to address briefly Deputy Calleary's other question on small business. It is important to state there is strong common ground potential here. It is known that those who are on low or medium pay tend to spend in their areas with a geographical distribution one does not get when one is topping up very high salaries, for example, in the same way. Therefore, there is a huge knock-on effect, in that this money translates directly back out into the economy and has a huge geographical distribution. In that regard, it is an absolute win for small business. On the issue of procurement, which a number of us have mentioned, it might be interesting to note the example of Kenya, which has reserved 30% of all of its Government contracts for largely local and smaller businesses that are headed by and with good conditions for women, youth and those with a disability. This is having a huge knock-on effect of, I think, €1.2 billion. Again, this is about joined-up thinking. It also is rewarding good practice and those employers who keep in mind that essential bargain, namely, one pays people who are giving one their work, which is their life and their time and by so doing, one is giving them the means by which they can live. It is a basic bargain and it should be rewarded as well as enforced.