Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 11 July 2019
407. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the estimated cost of implementing a living wage €12.30 for all employees directly employed and or in agencies under her remit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30764/19]
View answerRemuneration for staff within my Department is set by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in line with Government policy. I have no remit in this area.
With regard to the Deputy's specific question, please see calculations set out below.
The additional salary cost to the Department of introducing a minimum hourly rate of €12.30 per hour for directly employed staff is estimated to be €14,684 (€16,152 inclusive of employers PRSI) per annum. This figure includes the Offices of the Department (Companies Registration Office, Registry of Friendly Societies, Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement, Patents Office, Workplace Relations Commission and the Labour Court).
In respect of the Agencies of the Department, I have set out the information in the paragraph and table below.
The indicative additional annual cost across the Agencies funded through my Department's Vote would be €88,083. This covers the Competition & Consumer Protection Commission, Enterprise Ireland, Health and Safety Authority, IDA Ireland, Irish Auditing and Accounting Supervisory Authority, National Standards Authority of Ireland and Science Foundation Ireland. A breakdown by Agency is set out in the table below.
|
Name of Agency |
Cost per annum |
|
Competition and Consumer Protection Commission |
€1,357 |
|
Enterprise Ireland |
€20,451 |
|
Health and Safety Authority |
€22,078 |
|
IDA Ireland |
€34,417 |
|
Irish Auditing and Accounting Supervisory Authority |
€1,459 |
|
National Standards Authority of Ireland |
€8,312 |
|
Science Foundation Ireland. |
0 |
|
Total |
€88,083 |
It should be noted that the Personal Injuries Assessment Board (PIAB) and InterTrade Ireland are not included in the table and paragraph above. This is because PIAB is self-financing and does not receive any Pay provision through my Department’s Vote. Any additional Pay cost on foot of the introduction of a living wage of €12.30 per hour would have to be borne through the fees mechanism operated by the PIAB. The staff of Inter-Trade Ireland, which is part-funded through my Department's Vote, are all based in Northern Ireland.
