Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

What is also breaking news, is that the Department of Finance told me yesterday that on top of the current rate of inflation of 5.8%, the conflict in Ukraine and the sanctions relating to it are likely to increase inflation by a further 4%. As a result, we are potentially looking at an inflation rate of more than 9%. Against that background, and because I did not make this point earlier, could I ask the Taoiseach to condemn what Aer Lingus and International Airlines Group, IAG, are doing in terms of demanding pay cuts? This from an entity that we subsidised during Covid. I commend the workers on voting overwhelmingly against those pay cuts, particularly - I did not make this point earlier - because IAG, simultaneously gave British Airways workers, the same staff, a 10% pay increase as a reward for what they had done during Covid. That is shocking.

What is the Taoiseach going to do to increase the minimum wage for low-paid workers? I met this week with private security workers who are on less than €12 an hour. Do they not deserve a decent pay increase?

See this speech in context