For craft programmes, the minimum rates of pay are determined by the industry sector to which the employer belongs. They are not based on the specific skill or trade that the apprentice is undertaking. This ensures that all craft apprentices with a single employer are subject to a common set of gross wage norms. Gross wage norms are either agreed within the relevant sector, or are set out in legally binding Sectoral Employment Order (SEO)s recommended by the Labour Court. Any review of those rates currently payable is a matter for negotiation and agreement under the appropriate industrial relations structures in place. The deliverables of the Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025 include the development of a single apprenticeship system. This will see greater alignment of the development, review, governance and funding arrangements for all apprenticeship programmes. I am happy to inform the Deputy that work is progressing in this regard, through the National Apprenticeship Alliance (NAA). The NAA represents the broad range of stakeholders in the overall apprenticeship system. It is intended to bring a Memorandum to Government in Q2 this year, setting out the pathway to achieving the single system. I am confident that the partnership approach upon which this will be based will help ensure the successful delivery of this outcome.In the context of the current cost-of-living pressures, I am aware that some issues have been raised in relation to the pay of some apprentices. In that regard, I am engaging with partners to hear their views, including those of worker representative and employers. Officials in my Department are working with colleagues in DETE on the matter and have commissioned independent research to assess the landscape of apprentice pay overall and possible impacts of including apprentices in minimum wage legislation.
