Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 June 2021
151. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of workers employed by his Department and in each office or agency under the aegis of his Department that earn less than the living wage of €12.30 per hour; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33588/21]
View answerCurrently there is no official living wage in Ireland. The Living Wage Technical Group, which comprises members including Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice, TASC, NERI and SIPTU calculates a living wage by calculating the cost of a basic basket of goods, services and expenses required to maintain a “minimum essential living standard (MESL)”. The Partnership estimates the living wage for 2020/21 as €12.30 per hour.
The Programme for Government commits to “progress to a living wage over the lifetime of the Government”. Following my request earlier this year, the Low Pay Commission has formally begun work on examining how Ireland can move towards a living wage.
Remuneration for staff within my Department, Offices and Agencies is governed by instructions from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in line with Government policy.
Based on the Civil Service 37-hour standard net working week, the suggested €12.30 per hour equates to an annual salary of €23,747. Based on the payroll as of June 2021 there are 2 permanent staff of the Department and its Offices on a wage of less than €12.30 per hour.
It should be noted that the maximum point on the incremental scales for these staff is above the hourly suggested rate of €12.30, over time and based on satisfactory performance, each staff member in these grades would proceed to earn more than the living wage through incremental progression.
Additionally, those currently identified on basic annual salary of less than €23,747 could be receiving remuneration in excess of the suggested living wage through additional payments in respect of specific allowances particular to the grade or atypical working hours.
The number of workers employed by the Agencies under my Department’s remit earning less than the living wage of €12.30 per hour are set out in the table below.
|
Agency |
No. of workers earning less than €12.30 per hour |
|
IDA Ireland |
11 |
|
National Standards Authority of Ireland NSAI |
1 |
|
Enterprise Ireland |
13 |
|
Competition and Consumer Protection Commission - CCPC |
0 |
|
Health and Safety Authority - HSA |
0 |
|
Irish Auditing and Accounting Supervisory Authority - IAASA |
0 |
|
Personal Injuries Assessment Board - PIAB |
0 |
It should be noted that the Personal Injuries Assessment Board (PIAB) is self-financing and does not receive any pay provision through my Department’s Vote. The staff of Inter-Trade Ireland, which is part-funded through my Department's Vote, are all based in Northern Ireland and therefore their pay is subject to different rates and regulations.
Recruitment by each of the Agencies listed above is conducted in accordance with the instructions of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in line with Government policy, with new hires starting employment at the minimum of the relevant scale.
