Marc MacSharry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the announcement of the increase in the minimum wage. I encourage the Government to accelerate it towards being a living wage. Given the inordinate pressures on SMEs, which are now responsible for employing, with other companies, some 2.5 million people nationwide, I ask that measures specific to SMEs be included in next week's budget to enable them to offset a proportion of the cost of the increase in the minimum wage. While it is important that we have these increases, it is also important that we maintain employment. In acknowledging the inordinate demands on all households and SMEs, we must try to protect jobs. In that regard, I ask that a proportion of the cost of the increase in the minimum wage be allowed to be offset against other outlays.

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