Vol. 443 No. 6
6 Proinsias De Rossa asked the Minister for Finance the main features of the Government's submission to the EC for the Commission's White Paper on Growth, Competitiveness and Employment; if the Government's submission was hostile to the concept of a minimum wage; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
30 Miss Quill asked the Minister for Finance if the Government has made a submission to the EC Commission for inclusion in the Commission's White Paper on Unemployment due to be published before the end of this year; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to answer Questions Nos. 6 and 30 together.
A copy of the document to which the Deputies refer —"EC Commission White Paper on Growth, Competitiveness and Employment — Contribution by Ireland"— was circulated to all Deputies early last October. In a reply to a question by Deputy Hogan on 23 November 1993 — Official Report, columns 62 and 63 — I outlined the main features of this document.
A short section in the Irish Government's submission dealt with the question of minimum wages and included a proposal that the Commission's White Paper "should report the implications for total employment of minimum wage policies operating in the Community". This proposal and the section which preceded it reflect the Government's concern to establish whether the existence of minimum wage legislation in the member states of the European Union affects employment prospects in general and particularly for first job-seekers and the low-skilled.
The purpose of Question Time is to get information. I do not know if the Minister said the Government's contribution to the White Paper has been published — perhaps he was referring to the White Paper. Will he clarify that matter? Is he saying that in its submission the Government was against the concept of a statutory minmum wage?
I gave a commitment on Question Time last year that when forwarding the Irish contribution on the White Paper to Brussels it would be laid before the House, and I did that on 5 October. If the Deputy wishes I will submit a copy of the document to him. We did not argue against a statutory minimum wage. As the issue was live since the discussion on the Social Charter I stated I was anxious it should be addressed. As Deputy Rabbitte is aware from his role as spokesman on labour issues under the Social Charter, many of its sections and chapters have remained dormant for a number of years. I restated a number of those positions to determine the current thinking of President Delors and his colleagues and have been successful in obtaining the European position on some issues, but not in regard to a statutory minimum wage mainly because of the views of the United Kingdom. Unfortunately, there appears to be a reluctance at European level to proceed on this matter. Deputy Rabbitte knows my view. There is no conclusive proof — which is the United Kingdom's position — that a statutory minimum wage would bring the house down around anybody. However, the European Commission has failed to put forward its views on the matter.
