Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The reason I asked the Low Pay Commission to examine these areas in the first place was that we wanted to make sure there was full, active participation in the workforce and that people were treated appropriately. The commission's figures revealed that about two thirds of those on the national minimum wage were women. We want to look under the bonnet to see why that is the case. For example, as a Government, we want to ensure full participation in the workforce by all sections of society. There are underlying reasons for the preponderance of women in certain sectors of the economy. There are issues to do with access to child care, caring duties and responsibilities, the bulk of which, whether we like it, are still taken on by women. We want to address these issues. That is why we, as a Government, are addressing issues to do with child care and want to introduce better child care facilities for families to encourage more people to participate in the workforce. I am looking forward to receiving the reports. I asked the Low Pay Commission specifically to examine these two areas because they are of interest to me in terms of the widest possible participation in the workforce.

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