Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

The Government has the votes to carry this Bill. The amendment before the House, in the name of Deputy Penrose, merely seeks to ensure the cost of €1 in the national minimum wage does not apply to existing workers. I cannot see why the Minister cannot take that on board. We know what will happen in the real world. Many of these workers are casual workers and are occasionally let go and re-employed on new contracts. We know what the impact will be. Any Government would have to make Exchequer savings in these circumstances, different Governments would make different choices. This does not make any savings for the Exchequer and it will inevitably mean many workers who were previously ineligible for the family income supplement will be eligible for it. Some six out of ten of the 52,000 workers concerned are women. The Minister has the votes to carry the Bill and if he wishes to do some, that is his prerogative. I ask him to accept the amendments to ring-fence wages so that none of the existing workers is affected.

I do not like referring to Deputy Paul Gogarty as he only keeps interrupting because he wants attention. He threw around allegations about the venal conduct of Deputies on all sides of the House. I cannot think of anything more morally bankrupt, if not corrupt, than to say that he agrees with the amendment but will be voting against it. That is a new rule in this House.

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