Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I had expected that we would hear about next week's order, but obviously that will be raised on Tuesday and we will deal with it in the normal course.

On the public sector standards Bill, a Bill from the Department of Finance, is the Tánaiste aware of a submission on the national minimum wage made by Department of Finance officials to the low pay commission, which is due to deliberate shortly? As she is aware, the Department of Finance has warned that there are serious risks surrounding the increase in the national minimum wage. The submission stated:

The combination of a too-high cost base and a collapse in global demand had severe consequences for Ireland from 2008 on ... this suggests the need for a ‘competitiveness buffer’ to allow the economy absorb potential adverse shocks with as little impact on employment as possible.

The Department calls for a system to allow the minimum wage to be reduced in the future. Did the Tánaiste have sight of that report before it went to the commission? Was it discussed at the Economic Management Council, which generally now steers all matters relating to the economy through the Cabinet? On its submission, does it have the Tánaiste's full support?

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