Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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216. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if all State employees are paid at or above the minimum living wage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42379/15]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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217. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the additional cost to the Exchequer of paying all State employees a rate at least at the minimum living wage from 1 January 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42381/15]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 216 and 217 together.

It is assumed that the Deputy is referring to the National Minimum Wage. Like all employers, public service employers must comply with the National Minimum Wage rate.

Following the outcome of the recent considerations by the the Low Pay Commission, the statutory minimum wage rate will increase from the current rate of €8.65 to €9.15 per hour with effect from 1 January 2016. Any costs arising from the  increase in the statutory Minimum Wage rate for public service employers will be met from existing allocations under Budget 2016.  Estimations regarding the cost would be a matter for the individual public service sectors and employers, based on existing terms and conditions including weekly hours of state employees and  position on relevant pay scales which vary across the public service.

The 2016 Budget allocations also make provision for the implementation of the terms of the Lansdowne Road Agreement, the terms of which are significantly weighted towards lower paid state employees.