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

This was not a mini-budget or a budget, which is why we did not make changes to any weekly payments, although there are quite a number of once-offs. In regard to the national minimum wage, it went up by 7.8% this year and it looks like inflation this year will be lower than 7.8%. It is not the case that the minimum wage goes up faster than inflation every year but if we take the three-year view, the five-year view or the ten-year view, it has done so, and I think this year will see it go up faster than inflation. We increased the national minimum wage based on the recommendations of the Low Pay Commission, a body that was set up when Fine Gael and the Labour Party were together in government. I support that commission and have been happy to follow its recommendations down the years.

See this speech in context