Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am not going down the road of electioneering at this stage. For several years we have had to deal with issues such as pyrite, Priory Hall, symphysiotomy and the Magdalen laundries. The Deputy knows that the hepatitis C compensation scheme will continue for 50 years in some cases. The priority has to be delivery of front-line services to those who need medical attention. The other day the Minister for Health spent seven hours at Limerick hospital to check its accident and emergency department. Like those in many hospitals, it has not been up to standard for many years. We do not, however, have the endless resources required to address all of these issues overnight.

The low pay commission will deal with the issue of low pay specifically. It will not deal with the broader issue of the Haddington Road agreement, its successor or pay increases in the private sector, which are being dealt with by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation.

The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform will now engage with the public service unions in respect of the successor for pay and reform to the Haddington Road agreement. The low pay commission is dealing with low-paid people, looking at the background and the conditions that apply, and it will also deal with the question of zero-hour contracts. When we launched the action plan for jobs last week, the Minster of State, Deputy Nash specifically referred to this, as did the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation. That was launched in a company that had five employees, I think it was back in 2005 or 2006, and now has 11,000 employees nationally.

The Deputy referred to a visit to Templemore yesterday. Leaving aside the fact that the visit took place, the economic impact on the small town of a living, vibrant college where people will be coming through - people who have to serve the country, sometimes in very difficult circumstances, as Deputy Martin is well aware - is very important. The recruits have been chosen through a very specific process and have, in many cases, much more life experience than their predecessors.

I hope that by October we will be able to remove 500,000 people from the requirement to pay USC in the first place. The Deputy mentioned that the middle class is shrinking. While they are not all millionaires, last year there were 93,000 new cars bought. The figure is expected to exceed 100,000 in 2015. That is progress.

Questions of social dialogue will continue through the National Economic and Social Council, NESC, as I have pointed out to Deputies Martin, Adams and Creighton. The low pay commission will report to the Minister of State, Deputy Nash and to the Government before the summer and Government will act on that. The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform will deal with the trade unions in respect of the successor to the Haddington Road agreement for pay and reform. The Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation is dealing with the question of pay rates in the private sector. That is where the priority lies - to secure the future and create more jobs.

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