Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

To take up the Taoiseach's second point in respect of the Low Pay Commission, that a group of people who were objective and independent came up with an increase of 10 cent per hour, it would be interesting to ascertain for a start how much the members of that commission are getting paid hourly. It does not make them objective or independent if they are getting a hell of a lot more money, which I suspect they are. Second, the Government simply will not be able to recruit the nurses. For as long as the FEMPI legislation remains in place and the Government does not deal with nurses' pay, beds that are needed in hospitals will not be opened up.

I argue there are measures that could be taken which could repeal the FEMPI legislation at a cost of €2.1 billion to the State. First, the tax loopholes to entities such as real estate investment trusts, REITs, vulture funds and other financial institutions could be closed off. The sort of tax breaks and loopholes they are allowed could be taken away. Second, when one thinks about it, were workers to regain that pay, they probably would be paying back more than half of it in tax and PRSI to the State and would spend the other half. It would not be hived off into tax havens and offshore accounts. Workers actually spend in the economy and, consequently, there would be a net gain to all in terms of morale, recruitment, fulfilling the services of this State and returning the money to where it belongs. The Taoiseach should stop protecting the very wealthy and give it back to workers who deserve it in abundance.

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