Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy has my commitment to deliver on a better pay scale. I think I have demonstrated that by the €67 million that we are providing specifically for that in this year's budget. In a full year that will grow to €207 million. That is a firm commitment. The Deputy also has my commitment to develop the profession. That is demonstrated through the workforce development plan that I published in December and that my Department will be working to implement. We are not just talking about policies any more. The Government has put a very substantial amount of money on the table to help facilitate that joint labour committee process. I do not set the pay rates. We have to let that process of negotiation work between the employers and employees. We facilitated the start of that process and we gave a very clear indication of the Government's intention to support it and, most important, to support the increased levels of wages by specifically allocating money to help employers pay better wages.

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