Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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326. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if the wage being paid to student nurses, even during fourth year, will be subject to review in the Low Pay Commission which has been established; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18201/15]

Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour)
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The establishment of a Low Pay Commission is one of the key commitments in the Statement of Government Priorities agreed in July last.

The National Minimum Wage (Low Pay Commission) Bill that provides for the establishment of the Commission on a statutory basis will be published this week with enactment to follow as expeditiously as possible thereafter.

The principal function of the Low Pay Commission will be, on an annual basis, to examine and make recommendations to the Minister of the day on the national minimum wage, with a view to securing that the national minimum wage, where adjusted, is adjusted incrementally having had regard to changes in earnings, productivity, overall competitiveness and the likely impact any adjustment will have on employment and unemployment levels.

It is important to bear in mind that the functions of the Commission relate to the national minimum wage only.

Alongside examining the national minimum wage, the Low Pay Commission will also be tasked with examining matters related generally to the functions of the Commission under the Act. This work programme will be agreed by Government and presented to the Commission in February of each year

In discharging its functions, the Commission will be required to ensure that any advice or recommendations it makes to Government is evidence-based; utilising agreed data, carrying out research and consultations with employers, workers and their representatives and taking written and oral evidence from a wide range of organisations. This is to ensure that any suggested changes to the National Minimum Wage have minimum adverse impact on employment and competitiveness.

In addition, the Commission will be required to consult generally in carrying out its work and with representatives of employers and workers as appropriate. The Commission has already commenced its work in this regard and has already placed notices in national newspapers seeking submissions on the issue. In this context, representatives of workers and employers in the health sector have had an opportunity to make their views on the issue known to the Commission.

The Commission is expected to submit its first report by the middle of July.