Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)

I understand the Minister of State is responsible simply for reporting on the statistics. Within that constraint I invite him to ask the CSO to examine what level of displacement the figures suggest. It appears that average earnings in the low-skilled sector, relative to other sectors, have reduced, which may be evidence of displacement. Anecdotal evidence suggests that Irish people who are currently unemployed are failing to get jobs in the open market because incoming workers from other jurisdictions accept rates of pay below what would previously have been acceptable to Irish workers. I am seeking a statistical reinforcement of that analysis. Can the Minister ask the CSO to prove the figures? Is the minimum wage, for example, without overtime or double time, being offered to workers on a shift pattern of seven days on-five days off, irrespective of whether those days fall on a Sunday or a bank holiday, as happened to a person in my constituency?

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