Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Gould for raising this issue. It is quite timely, as it turns out. In 2021, the Low Pay Commission was asked by Tánaiste to examine and make recommendations on the best approach to achieving the commitment in the programme for Government to progress to a living wage over the lifetime of the Government. The Low Pay Commission asked researchers at Maynooth University to undertake a background research report on the concept of a living wage. Last week, the commission's report and recommendations were received. Along with officials, the Tánaiste and I will now review the commission's report and recommendations. We are considering the next steps required in the progression to a living wage, such as the publication of the commission's report, an accompanying research report and the consultation on the implementation of the commission's recommendations.

While the living wage initiative is being considered, the Government will continue to be guided by the recommendations of the Low Pay Commission with regard to any future changes in the minimum wage. The Low Pay Commission is required to submit its annual recommendations on the national minimum wage to me or the Tánaiste before the third Tuesday in July this year. We are committed to progressing to a living wage over the lifetime of this Government. In doing so, we need to recognise that many businesses have been affected by the pandemic and are also facing rising costs. We need to make sure that we proceed in a way that does not adversely affect inflation or cause jobs to be lost, either in terms of the number of people employed or the number of hours worked. We are very much committed to this, as the Deputy knows.

We are also committed to a general improvement in the terms and conditions for employees throughout the country. We recognise that there is a big demand for talent and we now have an opportunity to make our labour market more attractive to secure that talent and develop skills.

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