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

I am aware of the report on low-paid older workers in Ireland. It is useful research and I thank Dr. Micheál Collins of UCD and Dr. Catherine Elliott O'Dare of TCD for their work. It was funded by the Low Pay Commission, an independent body under the aegis of my Department.

The report provides comprehensive information on both the commonalities and the differences between older and younger low-paid workers, and new insights on low-paid older workers. It is easy to think of low paid workers as younger workers who subsequently transition into better paid employment as they get older, but this study draws our attention to the fact that older workers comprise 20% of the total low-paid population. It is also worth noting that older workers are defined as those aged over 50 years and that, relative to all employees, older workers carry a lower risk of being low paid.

Given the anticipated growth in this demographic in the decades to come, it is important to understand its socioeconomic and labour market composition. The Government wants to improve the pay and conditions of all workers on low pay. As the Deputy will be aware, we recently agreed to move to a living wage of 60% of hourly median wages by 2026. This is the latest in a series of improvements in workers' rights over the past five years, including statutory sick pay, the protection of tips and service charges, parental leave benefit and multiple increases in the minimum wage.

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