Eoghan Kenny (Cork North-Central, Labour)
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48. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will seek to abolish the pro-rata fee for apprentices and ensure that apprentices are paid a living wage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14568/25]

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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61. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will take action to ensure that no apprentice is paid less than the national minimum wage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14351/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 48 and 61 together.

I remain committed to easing the financial burden on students and families in accessing education and training. In advance of Budget 2026, and as my Department did last year, I will be publishing an options paper which will set out the various possible measures to address the costs of education. This will include options in relation to potential adjustments to the apprentice student contribution when attending higher education institutions. I will have regard to the various options considered in the paper when making proposals in the context of budget discussions.

Minimum wage legislation, which falls under the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, does not apply to the remuneration of a person who is an apprentice within the meaning of or under the Industrial Training Act, 1967, or the Labour Services Act, 1987.

Apprentices are employees and party to a contract of employment with their employers. For the 25 craft apprenticeship programmes, the minimum rates of pay applying under the contract of employment are either agreed within the relevant sector or are set out in legally binding Sectoral Employment Orders recommended by the Labour Court. Any review of those rates currently payable is a matter for negotiation between staff representatives and their employers under the appropriate industrial relations structures in place. The majority of minimum craft apprentice wage rates agreed under collective bargaining exceed €13.50 per hour by year three.

In the case of the 52 consortia-led apprenticeship programmes wages are agreed between the apprentice and the employer in the contract of employment.

The National Apprenticeship Office has commissioned an independent economic assessment of the mechanisms that the State has, to incentivise participation in national apprenticeships by both employers and apprentices, drawing on international practice. The study will help inform the work underway on growing participation in apprenticeship.