Peter Burke
Longford-Westmeath · Fine Gael · Ireland
“I thank Deputy Ó Broin for raising this important matter. I cannot imagine the trauma many families are going through right now as a result of the conclusion of An Coimisiún Pleanála on this file. This was a dark time in our past.”
“I thank Deputy Nash for his question on this very important issue. I will say clearly and unambiguously that I share his concerns in relation to ensuring that no product produced in Ireland ends up in the Russian military complex. We are very firm in that belief.”
“I have heard suggestions in some outlets that the Irish Government was in that company's corner at key European forums. That is not true. The European Commission has brought forward 20 sanctions packages and Ireland has supported them all 100%. It is very important to put that on the record.”
“I thank Deputy Wall for his very important intervention. I heard part of the interview this morning, which was exceptional and very courageous, showing leadership in an area which affects so many people in our society. I know the Minister for Health is supportive of the Deputy's initiative and remains so.”
“We have enacted the Family Courts Bill, establishing a dedicated family court to look at very sensitive items for victims. We have introduced an offence for non-fatal strangulation, reflecting the seriousness of the abuse and the stress and harm it causes.”
“I thank Deputy Murphy for being proactive and bringing forward a solution to try to operationalise a group of the Oireachtas and showing leadership to do that for Tipperary. I will absolutely bring that to the attention of the Minister for justice, particularly considering the cross-party aspect.”
The complete record
Every one of 870 lines we hold for Peter Burke, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 15 of 18.
“When an application for deemed insolvency is received, the employer will be notified and given a chance to participate in the process. The test we will use to deem an employer insolvent is whether they have ceased trading. This is a more favourable test than the directive requires. Under this test, officials will consider the application, the employer's response and, most importantly, Revenue and Companies Registration Office data on the employer. If the evidence shows an employer has ceased trading, the employer will be deemed insolvent for the purpose of that application only. The employee will then be able to seek their outstanding moneys from the insolvency payments scheme. If the evidence shows an employer has not ceased trading, then the employer is not deemed insolvent.”
“The second is to ensure the scheme's operation is in alignment with broader Government policy on personal insolvency. The third is to further improve the operation and administration of the scheme by reducing policy uncertainty in how the salary ceiling applies to certain payments. The fourth is that we want to ensure that Circuit Court awards for gender discrimination are brought back within the ambit of the scheme. Before turning to the detail of the Bill, I want to give a brief explanation of how the new process for deemed insolvency will work. In summary, under this new process, the employee will first have to serve formal notice on their employer and give them a reasonable period to pay any moneys due. If the employer fails to pay, the employee can apply to the scheme to have them deemed insolvent.”
“To avoid any unintended consequences, the Bill provides that a finding of deemed insolvency under this process will not have any implication for other definitions of insolvency, such as under company law or bankruptcy law. The Bill also provides for a process for historical deemed insolvency, and I will give more detail on this process in discussing the details of the Bill. The Bill proposes some additional technical changes to improve the scheme's operation. I will outline the four main policy objectives of the Bill. The first is to ensure Directive 2008/94/EC is fully transposed into Irish law. This will ensure that employees of employers who do not formally wind up their business will benefit from the directive's protections.”
“When this happens, former employees of the business who have moneys owed to them do not have a legal mechanism to claim these amounts under the insolvency payments scheme. The Supreme Court found in the Glegola case that this does not meet the directive’s requirements. The Supreme Court held that the State has, therefore, failed to transpose Article 2(1)(b) of the directive. To address this gap, the Bill provides for a new "deemed insolvent" application. Using this new application, an employee can apply to have their employer deemed insolvent for the purpose of accessing the insolvency payments scheme. This new process will address the Act's shortcomings, as identified by the Supreme Court.”
“When a claim is accepted, payment is made from the Social Insurance Fund to the liquidator. The liquidator in turn pays out to the employees. Access to the insolvency payments scheme is contingent on the employer being insolvent. Insolvency is currently defined in the Act as where the employer is in liquidation, receivership, bankruptcy, has died and their estate is insolvent, or is insolvent under the laws of another EU member state or the UK. However, there are gaps in the legislation that the Bill intends to address. In rare cases, a business may cease trading but fail to fully wind up. This may be because the directors have insufficient assets to fund the liquidation, or for other reasons. This is sometimes referred to colloquially as informal insolvency.”
“This protection stems from European law, currently Directive 2008/94/EC. When an employer becomes insolvent, a liquidator or similar relevant officer is usually appointed to wind up the company. As part of their role, the liquidator will check the company's books and compile a list of what each employee is owed. The liquidator then applies to the Department of Social Protection on behalf of the employees for payment under the insolvency payments scheme. This scheme covers a range of entitlements. These include arrears of wages, holiday pay and sick pay, minimum notice, unpaid employment rights awards and certain unpaid pension contributions. Certain limits are applied to payments. A salary ceiling of €600 per week applies to most payments. Arrears of wages, sick pay and holiday pay claims are further capped at a maximum eight weeks each.”
“I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I welcome the opportunity to discuss the Protection of Employees (Employers’ Insolvency) (Amendment) Bill 2025. The Bill makes changes to the insolvency payments scheme. This scheme fulfils a vital function. It protects workers in the event of their employer's insolvency. It covers certain pay and pension-related entitlements that an employee may be owed by their insolvent employer. Payments under the scheme are made from the Social Insurance Fund. The scheme is administered by the Department of Social Protection on my behalf. Before getting into the specifics of the Bill, it may be useful for me to outline the background to the insolvency payments scheme. The scheme has operated since 1984. It is governed by the Protection of Employees (Employers' Insolvency) Act 1984, as amended.”
“Engagement with stakeholders on this has already commenced and I look forward to the results of this work. All of these recent and upcoming developments highlight the Government's continuing commitment to a safe working environment, fair treatment and fair wages for the lowest-paid workers in our economy. Today, on International Workers' Day, I extend my thanks to all the workers of Ireland, who hold up and support our entire economy.”
“As part of the strategy, which is being led by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, my Department will continue to facilitate ongoing dialogue between disabled persons' organisations and employer representatives to support the employment of people with disabilities. During my first week as Minister, I directed work to begin on the design of a voluntary code of practice to support the hiring of workers with a disability. Some businesses and State agencies already have some form of best practice procedures, and this is to be applauded. There is also a role for a code that will have a particular focus on neurodiversity, learning from excellent examples already being applied in various private sector settings.”
“This situation is sometimes called informal insolvency. The Bill will provide a new statutory process for such employees to apply to have their employer deemed insolvent and to recover their outstanding moneys from the insolvency payments scheme. I welcome the support for the Bill from the previous Oireachtas committee during its pre-legislative scrutiny process. My Department engages with both employers and employer bodies to foster positive attitudes towards the employment of people with disabilities. My Department is also currently collaborating in the development of the upcoming national disability strategy. The draft strategy has five pillars, connected to various areas of life. My Department and the Departments of Social Protection, and Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform form the employment pillar.”
“That is why I am committed to ensuring there is an appropriate lead-in time and information campaign on this new right, following the Bill's enactment. I will also ask the WRC to update its code of practice on longer working to take account of the changes introduced. The Bill completed Second Stage in this House on 8 April. I hope the Dáil and Seanad will move ahead to enact the Bill in the coming months. In the coming weeks, I intend to seek Government approval to publish a new Bill to further strengthen the safety net for employees of insolvent employers. The protection of employees (employers' insolvency) (amendment) Bill 2025 will deliver several important changes. Most importantly, it will expand access to the insolvency payments scheme to include employees of employers who cease trading without formally winding up their business.”
“It will allow, but in no way compel, an employee to stay in employment until the State pension age of 66. An employee who consents to retire at his or her contractual retirement age can still do so. This element of consent reflects that many employees may want to retire at the contractual retirement age. The Bill implements a commitment included in the Government's response to the recommendations and implementation plan of the Commission on Pensions. One of the key objectives of the Bill is to bridge the income gap experienced by workers who are required to retire at an age lower than the age at which they can access the State pension. l am very mindful of ensuring both employers and employees have the time to get to grips with this new employment right.”
“On 10 April, my Department launched a public consultation on the proposal to introduce a new regulation to extend the late working hours exemption for young persons to unlicensed premises in order that they fully align with those provided for in regulation for licensed premises under the Protection of Young Persons (Employment) Act 1996. We want to ensure working conditions for young people are fair and appropriate. I look forward to receiving feedback from the consultation, which will help guide our understanding of current working conditions for young people in both licensed and unlicensed workplaces. I am also advancing legislation to protect older workers who have a contractual retirement age below the State pension age. The Employment (Contractual Retirement Ages) Bill 2025 will deliver this new employment right.”
“On 14 April, my Department launched a public consultation to obtain the views of interested stakeholders across the wider enterprise and employment sectors on the content of the action plan. It is intended that this consultation process will help guide us on the proposals that may be included. I hope there will be a strong response from a wide variety of stakeholders. I encourage all interested parties to engage with the consultation. A strong and well-functioning collective bargaining system is an important way to support and promote fair wages, particularly in low-paid sectors. Collectively bargained agreements also play a positive role in increasing productivity for businesses and promoting the protection of industrial harmony, which is crucial to our economy.”
“As part of the WRC's refocused strategic direction, it will undergo a restructuring that includes establishing a new strategic knowledge, information and advisory services division. The new division will focus on knowledge, information and advisory services, and enhancing engagement with employers and employees to develop greater awareness of employment rights and responsibilities. The strategic knowledge information and advisory service will form an integral part of the WRC's next strategic plan, whereby the commission will increase its emphasis and focus on promoting industrial relations harmony and best practices in the State, with a dedicated service focused on education, information and best practices through information sessions, conferences and other stakeholder engagements.”
“Measures include recognising the work of the independent Low Pay Commission, ensuring fair wages while also supporting the viability of small- and medium-sized enterprises; supporting the central role of the Workplace Relations Commission and the Labour Court; promoting flexible working arrangements; and publishing an action plan for collective bargaining. The EU directive on adequate minimum wages requires member states where the collective bargaining rate is less than a threshold of 80%, as is the case in a majority of EU states including Ireland, to establish an action plan to promote collective bargaining. The programme for Government contains the commitment to finalise an action plan the end of 2025 and I am strongly committed to working towards this with our social partners.”
“Investment in divisions like these represent a stronger longer-term State investment in good worker health, reducing workplace injuries and illnesses and improving the competitiveness of Irish businesses. Similarly, the HSA’s health and social care advisory committee engages with relevant stakeholder groups in the health and social care sectors, including the nursing unions. The committee creates a platform for key stakeholders to collaborate with the HSA in promoting and advising on best practices in occupational health and safety within this crucial sector. With regard to looking forward and what is to come, the programme for Government sets out a strong enterprise and fiscal framework which will prioritise, among other elements, economic and employment growth.”
“Strong occupational health and safety regulations can enhance a company's competitiveness by reducing the costs associated with workplace-related accidents and illnesses. This includes lower insurance premiums, fewer legal liabilities, and less downtime. The authority provides a range of supports, tools and guidance, a call centre and e-tools such as Work Positive and e-learning. BeSMART.ie is a free online tool developed by the HSA that enables the generation of workplace risk assessments and safety statements for small businesses. The HSA’s occupational health division will develop and deliver targeted programmes and strategies to address new ways of working.”
“While any number of workplace deaths is too many, the figure represents a decrease from 43 the previous year and the lowest number of fatalities on record since the HSA was established in 1989. This demonstrates that we are moving in the right direction, and it is thanks in part to the hard work and commitment of the authority. There has been a significant increase in funding and in the sanctioning of staff numbers for the HSA in recent years, which demonstrates the Government’s commitment to resourcing the authority. These staff are critical to carrying out the important work of inspecting, enforcing, promoting, educating, raising awareness, increasing understanding and securing commitment across all workplaces.”
“I was pleased to appoint the members of the group earlier this year, and to welcome the group officially at its inaugural plenary meeting on 4 March. My Department’s assessment of the Act is outlined in the post-enactment report, which I will lay before the Houses of the Oireachtas shortly. A healthy and safe workforce is a key element of our national competitiveness and productivity. Supporting the work of the Health and Safety Authority, HSA, to ensure safety in the workplace is a key enabler for this. In 2024, 34 people sadly lost their lives to work-related fatalities. It is important to recognise that families, colleagues and communities have been left devastated because of lives lost in work-related incidents.”
“This Government has protected and will continue to protect workers when they need it most, for example, when they lose their jobs due to their employer's insolvency. Last July, I introduced a range of changes to employment law and company law to further enhance the protection of employees. This included greater collective redundancy consultations, expanded opportunities to seek redress from the WRC and increased transparency for workers during the liquidation process. The Employment (Collective Redundancies and Miscellaneous Provisions) and Companies (Amendment) Act 2024 delivered these changes. The Act also established a new employment law review group, which will advise me on matters of employment law in accordance with its work programme.”
“The tips and gratuities Act, which has now been in operation for over two years, obliges employers to distribute tips fairly and to prominently display their tips distribution policy. The Act provides a more secure financial foundation for workers in the hospitality and service industries. This legislation was further enhanced in December 2023 when new fines were introduced for any businesses found breaching the Act. Other important legislation enacted in December 2022 was the EU Transparent and Predictable Working Conditions Regulations 2022, which has helped change working conditions in Ireland for the better. These regulations ensure employees receive more complete information on their work, set new limits on probationary periods and offer workers enhanced rights to seek additional employment.”
“Since the introduction of statutory sick leave in 2023, and subsequently the increase in the sick leave entitlement to five days in 2024, business owners, particularly in the retail and hospitality sectors, have consistently raised concerns about the cumulative impact of such measures in light of rising labour, input and energy costs. Research, including research by my Department, has shown that firms in the retail, accommodation and food services sectors were likely to be more impacted should the statutory sick leave entitlement increase from five to seven days. Following this work, and in line with the relevant legislation, statutory sick pay will remain at five days. Five days’ sick leave strikes the right balance. It gives workers income protection for five days, after which illness benefit is there to support them.”
“The Act amended the Protection of Employment Act 1977 to further enhance the protection of employees facing collective redundancies caused by their employer’s insolvency. As Deputies will all be aware, January 2023 saw the introduction of a statutory sick pay entitlement, which marked a key policy development in Ireland. Originally for three days, the entitlement was increased to five days in January 2024. The Act provides a crucial safety net to workers who become ill. It again underscores the Government’s commitment to progressive employment law and the protection of the welfare and well-being of Ireland’s workforce.”
“Most recently, in January, the European Communities (Organisation of Working Time) (Defence Forces) Regulations 2025 were signed into law. These important regulations provide that the statutory protection of the Organisation of Working Time Act is now applied to members of the Defence Forces. The Employment Permits Act 2024 introduced significant changes to the employment permit systems in Ireland, including the introduction of a new seasonal employment permit. This is a short-term permit that will allow non-EEA nationals to work in seasonal employment for up to seven months per year. The Employment (Collective Redundancies and Miscellaneous Provisions) and Companies (Amendment) Act 2024 was commenced on 1 July 2024.”
“This is critically important for maintaining industrial peace, as evidenced by the resolution of significant industrial disputes without recourse to industrial action. The WRC and the Labour Court play a crucial role in maintaining harmonious industrial relations by providing guidance and resolving disputes. In line with the commitment in the programme for Government, we will continue to support the central role of the WRC and the Labour Court in industrial relations and employment rights. Recent employment law developments have resulted in improved conditions for workers, and this Government and my Department have driven much positive and progressive changes over the last few years. In looking back over the last few years, we have achieved a significant amount to further enhance the protection of employees.”
“The voluntary nature of Ireland’s industrial relations system has proven effective over many years, with generally low levels of industrial unrest. The role of the State has been to underpin a voluntarist system through the provision of a framework and institutions through which good industrial relations can prosper. This system has served us well over the decades and there is an extensive range of statutory provisions in place to provide the legislative support for a voluntary system in industrial relations. The State provides industrial relations dispute settlement mechanisms, such as the Workplace Relations Commission and the Labour Court, to support parties in resolving their differences.”
“We recognise that this stability requires open and constructive dialogue with all the social partners; effective industrial dispute resolution mechanisms; a healthy economy; and strong rights and protections for workers. There is little doubt that industrial peace in Ireland is contributing in a very tangible way to Ireland’s current remarkable economic growth and success. We have built an international reputation as a stable and open global economy with a dynamic workforce that is flexible, creative and highly skilled. A peaceful industrial relations environment helps Ireland to continue to attract foreign direct investment and to ensure people have access to high-quality jobs. lreland’s stable industrial relations climate provides certainty for both domestic and international businesses investing in Ireland.”
“As Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, I am extremely proud to address Dáil Éireann today on International Workers’ Day to recognise the important role of workers to Ireland’s success and their value to the economy. This country, its workers and its businesses, have come through a series of deep crises over the past number of years - Brexit, Covid, the war in Ukraine and, currently, global tariff uncertainty. These crises have forced us to change and adapt how we work perhaps more rapidly and fundamentally than we have seen before in our lifetimes. It is truly remarkable that we have done so in a climate of widespread industrial relations peace. It is a huge achievement and is something which we as a Government are careful not to take for granted.”
“I have asked to meet the Companies Registration Office to get more information on the issues at hand but I assure the Deputy we will get to the bottom of it. Critically, the number of submissions we are receiving through the CRO is at record levels and all obligations and legislative requirements still remain on company directors and their companies, across all the offices of the CRO.”
“I wish to clarify that legal obligations still remain on the part of companies. We received approximately 560,000 submissions last year, so any company that is not complying with the Companies Act will be prosecuted. I want to be very clear on that; their obligations still remain. Regarding how it happened, as far as I understand, it was noted when the CRO was going through an involuntary strike-off methodology that two or three rounds of strike-offs did not appear in the CRO gazette, which they are obviously obliged to do. That was noticed by the CRO, and then it had to go through them manually, which caused a significant issue and a delay with strike-offs. I agree with the Deputy. We need to be efficient in this area.”
“The current involuntary strike-off programme is focusing on companies that have no registered directors, which is a breach of the Companies Act. When the programme has been completed, the focus will move to companies that have failed to file annual returns and those that have failed to register beneficial ownership information with the registrar. The CRO has spent a total of €313,567 to date in 2025 on support and maintenance for its IT system. The sum is in respect of the total cost of support and maintenance for the first quarter of the year for the CRO and also the offices of the Registry of Friendly Societies and the Central Register of Beneficial Ownership of Companies and Industrial and Provident Societies, and includes the cost of fixing bugs that arise.”
“The primary operational issues that have arisen as a result of the IT problem are that the involuntary strike-off process currently needs more manual checks put in place than with a fully automated process, and as a result, fewer companies have been struck off. The CRO continues to monitor companies for compliance with their statutory filing obligations and to enforce filing obligations under the Companies Act 2014. All annual returns filed late are subject to a late filing fee of €100 for the first day and €3 per day thereafter. Where appropriate, a company filing a late annual return also automatically loses its audit exemption. The late filing fee regime is operating as normal and the CRO received a total of €9.7 million in late filing fees during 2024.”
“I propose to take Questions Nos. 14 and 25 together. I thank the Deputy for his questions. Companies can be struck off the companies register on either a voluntary or involuntary basis. Voluntary strike-off is proceeding as normal, with companies meeting the criteria being struck off on an ongoing basis by the Companies Registration Office. Involuntary strike-off by the CRO arises when companies are not meeting the requirements of the Companies Act 2014 with respect to registered directors and the annual filing of returns. Due to difficulties with the enforcement module of the CRO’s IT system, the CRO suspended its involuntary strike-off programme early in 2024. Involuntary strike-off has since recommenced on a curtailed basis, as the underlying IT issues have still not been fully resolved.”
“When we see we are dwindling in Europe - we have only 8% of the chip market while Asia is manufacturing 80% - we have the building blocks here and products like this to drill down, as the Deputy quite rightly pointed out, other components in our SME supply chain. I would push this as part of the NDP review because this is how you sustain really good employment and enhance our SME sector right across the economy.”
“I thank the Deputy who is quite right; it is an area of huge opportunity. As a country, in the past we have not done enough in this area and having only one project speaks volumes. That is why we are reframing the narrative in connection with this and working with Enterprise Ireland and the IDA to try to ensure companies have the capacity to access these very significant projects. We know renewables and semiconductors are going to be important for the future of Ireland. As I said in my earlier contribution, when you see chips turning up in fridges, phones, electric vehicles, Ireland has one of the best landscapes for this. More than 80 semiconductor companies are linked in with SMEs in our landscape, with more than 20,000 people, and KPMG has been clear we have the capacity to go to 40,000 in the next decade and beyond.”
“That is why, as part of the review of the national development plan, it will be critical to get more support into our enterprise development agencies to enable companies to access these incredible projects. We know renewables and semiconductors are areas the European Union is focusing on and since the competitive compass that has come on foot of the Draghi report, we will see many areas of opportunity on behalf of the Irish Government. We are fighting very hard for additional funding in this area through the NDP envelope which will be negotiated in the coming weeks.”
“I thank Deputy McAuliffe and I absolutely agree with him. We are doing that through our new semiconductor strategy, which clearly calls out the role Enterprise Ireland will have in advice and financing access to these projects. One thing I will say is one of the big projects we have had is from Analog Devices which has approximately a €630 million investment through the projects of common European interest. I was looking at one of these semiconductor companies quite recently, which had 814 SMEs on its books that it was working on. This was a large-scale company with services from Banagher to Longford. It was incredible to see so many SMEs linked in.”
“Ireland's representation on these groups includes both Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland to help promote the interests of Irish industry as part of the scope of this development.”
“My Department is also fully engaged with the joint European forum for important projects of common European interest, JEF-IPCEI, and is a member of working groups on national best practices and facilitation of SME participation. My Department will implement recommendations from these groups and will aim to make more important projects of common European interest accessible for SMEs and support SMEs through the process. In addition to these working groups, my Department is also participating in the JEF working groups, which are tasked with designing new important projects of common European interest in the strategic sectors of advanced semiconductor technologies and Al.”
“We have a great opportunity for our SMEs through the funding of breakthrough research and development, and first industrial deployment projects, to enable scaling up. In other words, we have an opportunity to help to make our most important technologies ready for mass production and we want SMEs rightly involved at the heart of it. I fully support the integration of SMEs into future investments in important projects of common European interest. Officials in my Department are working with their counterparts in enterprise agencies to identify Ireland's priorities for the future. This ensures that the priorities from across industry, including our SMEs, are identified and proposed for consideration at the EU level in the selection of these new important projects of common European interest technologies.”
“I thank Deputy McAuliffe for this important question. It is a matter that will pave the way for a significant future in Ireland for semiconductors and other areas. Important projects of common European interest are becoming increasingly important as a means to enhance the competitiveness of the EU and its member states. The new programme for Government contains a commitment to "Boost participation in Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI) to increase competitiveness and productivity for Irish companies and create more jobs". Ireland needs to significantly step up its involvement in the important projects of common European interest, subject to available funding, and I see SMEs and start-ups as being central to this.”
“It absolutely is. I have quoted the figure of an increase of 29% since 2022. That is a fact. Of people who are 15 to 19 who are entitled and legally able to work, only a quarter are earning sub-minimum rates. It is a very small number of people. Critically, we have to look at barriers of entry to education, which is very important. The evidence I have behind that has not been available to allow that decision to be taken. The Low Pay Commission was clear that this is a complex issue. It said that in its report. I am going to examine the matter further. In connection with the work, the Cabinet has decided to make a decision in 2029, which is final.”
“We have banned zero-hour contracts. We have worked to bring in tips and gratuities legislation to protect the most vulnerable workers. We have introduced a sick pay scheme that is ever-present. We were clear in our manifesto before we went into government that, at this point in time, we did not feel we could extend it any further. We have commissioned a review of employment legislation. We have committed to an action plan for collective bargaining in respect of which public consultation is now underway. In all those areas, as well as in the context of additional rights such as that to request remote working, supporting workers and significant increases in the minimum wage over the past number of years, no Government has done more for workers' rights than this Administration and those that preceded it. That is a fact.”
“My actions demonstrate that we have supported employment and workers throughout our economy. We are committed to achieving a living wage. We are about 3.5% away from it under one metric, which is the survey data for the labour force. Second, we are on it in the CSO data relating to the structure of earnings. I pointed out clearly the number of improvements we have made. We are committed to auto-enrolment, which will come in on 1 January, to protect the futures of workers.”
“I have had no meetings, interactions or correspondence with the business owner in question since my appointment as Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment last year in connection with any of my work, and nor has my Department.”
“I am also pointing him towards how we are improving workers' conditions consistently, right across the economy. I have commissioned a review of employment law by the employment law review group, which is needed for our economy because employment legislation affects so many areas. I want good, well-paid jobs in our economy. I also want businesses to be viable and to do well. My job is to balance those interests and ensure we protect employees on what is a significant day, namely International Workers' Day.”
“I am not picking sides. I am ensuring that we have valuable employment and strong businesses. Anyone who says we have not improved workers' conditions is not backing that statement up with evidence. Auto-enrolment will be introduced on 1 January. There is a right to request remote working. Tips legislation to protect vulnerable workers has been introduced. Zero-hour contracts were banned. Parental leave has been introduced. A Fine Gael Government, with the Taoiseach at the time, took the lead on improving employment rights. We all know the work our former Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, did in this area. We know the costs that businesses they face, and that is the evidence I am giving the Deputy. I am pointing him to the reports on the basis of which I am acting.”
“Some 75% of minimum wage workers are in retail and hospitality, and evidence from the PwC barometer indicates a 50% increase in insolvencies in those sectors. This means that jobs are being lost in those sectors. I want to ensure that workers have real wage growth, which they will because the increases in the minimum wage will continue and are at levels significantly above the rate of inflation. I will take on board the recommendations of the Low Pay Commission when I receive its report in the third week in July.”
“The Government has committed to achieving the living wage in the current Administration. The increases of 12% and 10% we have had in recent number years are significantly above wage growth in economy which is 3.5%. They are also above the inflation rate relating to our economy, which has now tapered down to about 1.75%. My key issue is to make and ensure that any increases are sustainable. We are doing that, and we have the evidence. The first piece of evidence is the joint report from the Departments of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and Social Protection which stated that there would be a 36% increase by 2026 on 2023 levels between the living wage, auto enrolment and sick pay for our smallest family businesses.”