Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. Her suggestion of supporting workers and businesses at the same time is actually something we are already doing in this Government. Only last week, the Minister, Peter Burke, and our team announced additional measures to support businesses, and under this Government, we placed significant emphasis on workers' rights. We put sick pay on a statutory footing for the first time ever. We substantially increased the national minimum wage in January. We introduced the right to request to work from home, the right to disconnect and legislation on tips and we have brought in record investment when it comes to supporting workers. Last week, as I said, the Minister, Peter Burke, brought in additional supports for businesses. That is exactly what the Government wants to do. We want to support both businesses and workers. In the past two years in particular, the Government has been highly productive and proactive when it comes to enhancing employment rights, offering additional protections, creating better employment conditions and continuing to foster entrepreneurship.

See this speech in context