Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 160: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the data available to her on the number of workers in receipt of the minimum wage of €8.65 per hour. [41274/08]

Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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Data from the October 2006 National Employment Survey (NES) shows that 9.6% of employees were paid €8.65 or less per hour in the reference month of October 2006. This was equivalent to 163,400 employees out of a total number of 1,685,200 employees. The National Minimum hourly wage age rate in operation in October 2006 was €7.65. The October 2006 National Survey found that 3.8% of employees were in receipt of that rate, which was equivalent to 63,700 employees.

The National Employment Survey (NES) is an annual workplace survey conducted by the CSO. The purpose of the NES is to provide more detailed structural information than before on workplace issues, including earnings and the factors influencing earnings and labour costs. It has been designed as an integrated survey that addresses issues of national interest, while simultaneously fulfilling requirements under EU law. The first results were published in May 2005 and it became an annual survey in 2006. Results for October 2006 were published in September 2008.