Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Looking at the facts and statistics, and the data are produced by the Central Statistics Office, CSO, so it is not my opinion; they are just facts, for the past few years up to this year, average earnings have risen faster than inflation. That is true in respect of the minimum wage, public sector pay and pay generally. This year is different. We are seeing unprecedented inflation and prices rising faster than incomes. As a result of that there must be a response. Part of that response is going to be bigger pay increases than had been planned in the private and public sectors. We are currently in negotiations with the public sector about that. However, we should not see pay increases as the only lever and the only mechanism for dealing with this problem. We can do other things too, for example, reducing the tax burden on people, reducing the cost of childcare-----

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