Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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2627.To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the projected cost of implementing a living wage for apprentices, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33013/24]

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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2645.To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost to introduce a living wage for all apprentices. [33272/24]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 2627 and 2645 together.

All 75 apprenticeship programmes are undertaken under a contract of employment and is agreed between the employer and the apprentice. For the 25 Craft Apprenticeship programmes, the minimum rates of pay apply and are either agreed within the relevant sector, or are set out in legally binding Sectoral Employment Orders recommended by the Labour Court. Apprentices are not subject to the Minimum Wage Acts which falls under the purview of the Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment.

While the review of wage rates is a matter for appropriate industrial relations structures, my Department has commissioned and will consider independent research to review the landscape of apprentice pay in the context of the rising cost of living.

There are a number of financial supports available for apprentices, including access bursaries and travel and accommodation allowances for those undergoing a craft apprenticeship.

Budget 2023 and Budget 2024 saw a once-off 33% reduction in the contribution fee for apprentices attending higher education Institutions in the 2022/23 and 2023/24 academic years.

As employees, apprentices are also entitled to access general employment supports through the social welfare system.