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

I thank the Deputy for the question. We want to reward work and ensure that work pays more. Minimum wage workers are among the hardest working people in Ireland and deserve to paid more, particularly at a time of rising prices. Yesterday the Government accepted the Low Pay Commission's recommendation to increase the national minimum wage by 80 cent to €11.30 per hour commencing on 1 January 2023. At least 164,000 people will be in line for an increase but the real figure is likely to be much more, given that there will be knock-on increases for those currently earning slightly above the minimum wage. It works out at roughly €30 a week, €120 a month or €1,600 a year if working full-time. As the Deputy is aware I want to move from a minimum wage to a living wage so that work pays more. I outlined proposals back in June after which we started a public consultation seeking submissions from the public on the Low Pay Commission's recommendation and our straw-man proposal. That provides an example of how a living wage might be phased in over four years. The public consultation closed in August. It received 46 submissions. The work of an interdepartmental working group and public consultation results will inform a final Government decision on the adoption of a living wage over a specified number of years. I hope to be able to make an announcement on that this month or next. The new national minimum wage of €11.30 is in line with the living wage straw-man proposal. As such, next year can be considered the first year of a four-year plan to reach a living wage calculated at 60% of the median wage.

See this speech in context