Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour)

Speaking earlier on the radio, the Minister said he makes decisions based on evidence. There is no evidence anywhere in the world to suggest that modest incremental increases to rates of national minimum wages impact employment rates or competitiveness. The Minister talks a lot about competitiveness but by delaying the introduction of the living wage, he is owning up to the problems the Government has created. If it wanted to deal with competitiveness, it would deal with the cost of energy, deal with renewables and deal with the genuine cost of doing business in Ireland which has nothing to do with the rate of the national minimum wage.

Deputy Conway-Walsh was absolutely right. These jobs are not to be found in the globally traded international sector; they are in the locally traded sectors - those areas that are not in the front line of Trump's potential tariffs. If the Government wants to address competitiveness, it should look at energy, housing and infrastructure, and not the national minimum wage. As the Minister will know, and I am sure this was the case, section 6 of the 2015 minimum wage Act, which allowed for the Low Pay Commission to be formed, makes it very clear that no decision should be taken that would impact employment rates and competitiveness.

See this speech in context