Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. I have not read that report yet but I will. Over the last ten days or so, while there was somewhat of a break in political activity in this House, a lot of economic data was released. All of it was pretty good news. Last year, people's wages increased by about 2.5%. Almost 70,000 extra people found employment last year; I think the official figure was 66,800. We are seeing more people at work and earning higher wages. That is the way to lift people out of poverty. It is about ensuring that we help people re-skill and find employment, providing decent working conditions for them and ensuring that the minimum wage is also at an appropriate level. This Government and the previous one increased the minimum wage on three separate occasions. Even at a time when unemployment was very high and there was a lot of pressure on the labour force, we were increasing the minimum wage because we felt it was important to ensure that work could pay. That strategy has been working. Work does pay now. We are seeing an economy that is growing employment opportunities, increasing wages and ensuring that people are incentivised to find a decent job, which I am glad to say they can now find all over the country. Of those 66,800 extra jobs, 85% were outside of Dublin. That is also ensuring that we are spreading prosperity as it develops and as we manage it into the future.

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