Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

The Government has introduced the minimum wage. Through its tax policies it has ensured low-paid workers have a greater level of disposable income after tax than any previous Government provided. It has taken many of them out of the tax net. Increasing job creation in the past has provided many opportunities.

Returning to the question on benchmarking, comparisons are made between the various grades in the public sector and the private sector. The private sector provides the market price for labour which can differ from occupation to occupation, depending on levels of productivity or labour intensity. The benchmarking process, while it may not be perfect as far as some are concerned, is a better system than its predecessor.

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