Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

In terms of the year it applied to, yes. This is just narrowly lower. It is an independent commission, not the Government, that decides the minimum wage. We want to move up as quickly as we can to a new living wage. For the first time in the report, a living wage has now been identified, so progress has been made. The Deputy is aware the vast majority on the minimum wage are not the main income earners in families. We have to continue to improve, and we will. We all agree on that - maybe not all. There is an independent commission that examines this issue in great detail and takes all the factors into account, including employment and so on, to facilitate an increase in the minimum wage.

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