Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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218. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the cost of implementing a living wage of €11.50 for all employees directly employed or in agencies funded by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24159/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The data requested by the Deputy are not collected or collated by my Department.

There are over 3,700 individual employers in the education and training sector.

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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219. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the discussions his Department has had with suppliers or service contractors to his Department or to agencies of his Department to ensure that employees of such suppliers and contractors are paid the living wage of €11.50 per hour; the cost of implementing this wage for these employees; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24174/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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For the Deputy's information, the Living Wage is a voluntary societal initiative centred on the social, business and economic case to ensure that, wherever it can be afforded, employers will pay a rate of pay that provides an income that is sufficient to meet an individual's basic needs, such as housing, food, clothing, transport and healthcare. The Living Wage is voluntary and has no legislative basis and is therefore not a statutory entitlement. Consequently this condition is not imposed on suppliers or contractors and contract discussions are not held on this specific issue.

It differs from the National Minimum Wage which is a statutory entitlement and has a legislative basis. The Low Pay Commission was established to annually assess the appropriate level of the National Minimum Wage. The national minimum hourly rate of pay increased on 1 January 2016 following Government acceptance of the Low Pay Commission recommendation of July 2015.

Separately, wage rates and other conditions of employment are provided for in Employment Regulation Orders for the Contract Cleaning and Security sectors.