Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein)

I move amendment No. 5:

In page 6, before section 4, to insert the following new section:

4.—Twelve months following the passage of the Act the Minister shall report to the Dáil on the impact of its operations including—

(a) the number of new jobs created;

(b) wage trends over the period with particular attention to the scale of wage reductions to the €356 level; and

(c) the number of complaints made.".

As drafted, the Bill provides that the reduced rate of employers' PRSI will remain in place for two and a half years. The amendment would provide that the Minister would have 12 months to prove that the reduction was working in terms of the creation of jobs and if it is not, it should fall. That is essential as, if it is not working, it will incentivise the driving down of wages and likely result in reduced revenue which we can hardly afford.