Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 June 2016
215. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if she will introduce legislation to increase the remit of the Low Pay Commission from its limited focus on the minimum wage to empower it to look at low pay in general and to make recommendations accordingly; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16370/16]
View answerThe Low Pay Commission was established last year through the National Minimum Wage (Low Pay Commission) Act 2015. Its principal function is, once each year, to examine the national minimum hourly rate of pay and to make a recommendation to the Minister respecting the rate, ensuring that all decisions are evidence based, fair and sustainable, and do not create significant adverse consequences for employment or competitiveness.
The National Minimum Wage Act, was amended in 2015 and under a newly inserted Section 10 C (4) it allows the Minister to request the Commission to examine and report its views and recommendations on such matters, related generally to the functions of the Commission under the Act, as are specified in that request. Such request must be made to the Commission by the end of February each year. This new provision was invoked, in order to obtain a better understanding of the impact of the national minimum wage on younger people. The Commission has been asked to examine the appropriateness of the sub-minima rates as currently provided for in the National Minimum Wage Acts with regard in particular to their impact on youth unemployment rates and participation in education. This report is due by the end of October 2016. This new provision has also been used to ask the Commission to report on the preponderance of women on the national minimum wage. In order to obtain a better understanding of the composition and profile of this group and the underlying causality, the Commission was requested to examine this issue in more detail and report its views as to the underlying reason for this position and make any recommendations it considers appropriate. This report is also due by the 31st of October this year.
Following completion of these reports this new provision will again be utilised to set the work programme for the Commission for 2017 by the statutory deadline of end February.
