Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Taoiseach will be aware the cost of living in Ireland, and the fact that practically everything is more expensive than in comparable countries, reduces the value of our minimum wage. For some time now, since 2016, the previous Government, which the Taoiseach supported from the Opposition benches, missed its minimum wage targets. There is a commitment in the programme for Government to move to a living wage. I ask the Taoiseach to change the legislation governing the Low Pay Commission to instruct the commission to move towards a roadmap for the introduction of a living wage in this country. We have an epidemic of low pay in Ireland. That is the reason those who are merely existing on low and middle incomes are finding it so difficult to absorb the additional costs they are burdened with at the moment. They cannot survive. We have a low pay epidemic. One third of all Irish workers earn less than what might be considered the living wage of €12.90 per hour. I ask the Taoiseach to listen back to what David McWilliams said to Pat Kenny on Newstalk this morning. He could not have been clearer. He said the only solution for low-paid workers is to have wage increases. A high-wage economy is a good thing. It adds value, boosts retention and makes people much more secure. I ask the Taoiseach to reflect on that in the context of the crisis we are experiencing now and in terms of our future economic and social development.

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