A bill that seeks to abolish age-based sub-minimum pay rates for younger workers will be discussed today by the Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment.
Current legislation allows for lower or sub-minimum rates for people aged under 20.
The minimum wage stands at €12.70 per hour, therefore the current sub-minimum wage rate for workers aged 19 is €11.43, for workers aged 18 is €10.16 and for those aged under 18 is €8.89.
In June, the Low Pay Commission recommended the abolition of the sub-minimum rates and the Department of Enterprise has commissioned an economic impact assessment on the issue.
Trade unions have welcomed calls for the scrapping of sub-minimum wage rates.
Business groups, however, have pointed out that employers in the retail and hospitality sector are not allowed to employ young people to sell age-restricted products such as alcohol, tobacco and vaping products.
Groups add that employers would be much less inclined to hire young people at the same rate as adults when they cannot carry out the same functions or have the same availability.
The Oireachtas Enterprise Committee will today hear from officials from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.
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Councillors from across Kilkenny have voted by majority to retain the adjustment rate for the Local Property Tax (LPT) rate at the maximum level of +15% for the next five years. The local authority may resolve to vary the basic rate of the LPT within its functional area by a maximum of +/-15%.
Independent councillors Eugene McGuinness and Maurice Shortall voted against the proposal to retain the current rate of +15% for the next five years, and there was one abstention. Cllr McGuinness put forward a counter-proposal that the LPT adjustment rate be revisited annually, which was seconded by Cllr Shortall, but was defeated.
It was relayed to elected officials at the meeting by Head of Finance Martin Prendiville that much of the money raised by the LPT ‘goes back into local services’. Mr Prendiville stated that having certainty on the adjustment rate also allows the local authority to improve ‘long-term planning’. Cllr Seán Ó hArgáin concurred, stating that ‘we have to have certainty over the next number of years’. “We’re consistently one of the lowest funded systems of local government in Europe,” he added.
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Gardaí and the Civil Defence will carry out a number of searches this week as part of a new review into the disappearance of Kilkenny man Dean Roche. A drone is being used to survey and map out the area close to where Dean was last seen in Ballyfoyle on the night of March 22, 2015. Search team experts have also been deployed to help find the missing 31-year-old. A senior garda has been appointed to lead the review and a meeting has taken place between gardaí and members of the Roche family. Dean Roche from Hebron Park went missing on March 22, 2015 when he went to the Ballyfoyle area to buy a car. A short time after purchasing the car it was found crashed down the road. Gardaí are appealing to anyone who has information on what happened to Dean Roche to contact them on 056-7775000.
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Kilkenny County Council wish to advise of a temporary traffic management in place on the N10 Kilkenny Ring Road between the Bohernatounish Roundabout and Waterford Roundabout until Friday, September 20th each day from 9.30am to 4.30pm.
The purpose of the traffic management is to facilitate the installation of an ESB connection.
Lane advisory signage will be located on the approach to the Bohernatounish Roundabout, Kilkenny.
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Weather
It will be another dry day, today, Wednesday, with long spells of sunshine developing. Highest temperatures of 17 to 21 degrees.
The Solar UV Index is Moderate for today
Dry tonight under mostly clear skies. Mist and fog patches will form in a light easterly or variable breeze. Lowest temperatures of 7 to 11 degrees.
