Ms Maeve McElwee:

I might try to answer because, clearly, I have not been able to square that circle for the Deputy. It is really important for us to say that the national minimum wage has been adjusted with a Government policy in mind which is to achieve a living wage and not the normal practice of the Low Pay Commission looking at an increase in the living wage, so there are two different issues there. Second, we are not looking to pause the current implementation of the national minimum wage. The national minimum wage legislation also requires that there be protection for employers in order that those who are operating in high-labour-cost, low-margin businesses are protected too.