Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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Returning to Mr. McDonnell and this argument of whether they are discriminatory or not, we obviously acknowledge they are not illegal and they are lawful. He made the comparison with the legal voting age, the age to stand for the Dáil, the age to buy alcohol or to drive, etc. He is not accepting, however, that we are talking in those circumstances about an age before which people are not allowed to do something and after which they are allowed. You do not get 80% ,90% or 70% of your vote; you get to vote. Similarly, you do not pay 80% of the price of alcohol; you get to buy alcohol. Does Mr. McDonnell not accept there is a difference here? We are allowing people at a certain age to work, the employer is entitled to ask them to do the full range of things, generally speaking, although there are some exceptions for under-18s, but yet they are not being given the protection of the minimum wage rate we give to workers in general.