Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The research was, indeed, interesting. I join the Minister in acknowledging the work of Dr. Collins and Dr. Elliott O'Dare and their teams. The specific aspects I would like to raise with the Minister concern the number of participants who believe the pay they receive is inadequate and the manner in which the living wage will seek to address this. The adequacy of pension income is a serious factor influencing older workers' choice to take up or remain in low-paid employment. A point that is interesting and valuable about the report is exactly what the Tánaiste has said: we tend to think of low-paid workers as younger workers or people doing a little bit of work, such as a weekend job, for pocket money, but it is older people who probably have an entire working life behind them who face inadequate pay in their later years. Many of them have indicated that inadequate pension income was a driver in their decision to take up or remain in low-paid employment. People reach a certain age at which they should be entitled to leave work – I believe it is 65 but the Minister believes it is older – but the people I am referring to are being forced back into the labour market.

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