John Kelly (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State and compliment him on this initiative. The Low Pay Commission will prioritise work and fairness as the economy improves. Employment is rising rapidly and unemployment is falling. As the Minister of State pointed out, more than 100,000 jobs have been created since the crisis, which is 3,300 jobs every month, and unemployment is now below 10%, at 9.9%. Long-term unemployment is also falling and is down to 9%.

Having a job is the best protector against poverty, but key to that are fair wages and conditions. The Low Pay Commission represents an excellent example of how we can achieve both. We have done a lot to get job seekers back to employment, education and training. It is important that we now get our people to work and get them work that pays fairly.

The State supports many families on low pay through the family income supplement, on which we spend €280 million a year supporting 50,000 families. We also have the back to work family dividend, which is a new initiative by the Labour Party whereby the child dependent allowance of approximately €30 per child can now be made payable to somebody who takes up work for the first time. With a family of three, that amounts to €7,000 per year for that family.

However, social welfare is not the answer to our problems, and we must aim higher. If we are interested in long-term solutions, it is crucial that we start looking at why there are jobs that simply do not pay enough to cover the basic cost of living, as it is essential that working families can stay ahead of the basic cost of living.It is essential that working families can stay ahead of basic cost of living expenses. Let us remember that we increased the minimum wage when we were in government. The purpose of the Low Pay Commission, comprising those who represent the views of employers and employees, is to take on board the views of the working people. I certainly believe that it will work.