Caít Keane (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State has said that he will not accept Senator White's amendment. I will not vote for it because I am on this side of the House but I would like an explanation from him. All legislation should be done in a planned way and one cannot hoist change on an employer just like that. Looking at the way the amendment is put, it seems reasonable, but I am sure that the Minister of State has a good reason for not accepting it. I was an employer at one stage and one cannot do today what one will not do tomorrow. Employers need to know where their budgets are coming from because if they do not have the money they will not be able to pay the minimum wage so they would need to plan for that as well. Will the Minister of State make a statement on how his ideas can be implemented?