National Minimum Wage (Inclusion of Young Persons, Apprentices and Interns) Bill 2025: Second Stage
Seanad Éireann — 2025-12-17
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Malcolm Noonan (GP), Agricultural Panel

Some weeks ago, I attended the Kilkenny and Carlow Education and Training Board apprenticeship awards ceremony in Kilkenny. It was a proud day for those young men and women and their families. The ceremony added greatly to the significance of their collective achievements. I do not need to tell the Minister of State how much we need these young apprentices in our economy right now, an economy that is running at full tilt. I saw in a previous role, particularly in the heritage sector, young apprentices in thatching, sign writing and stonemasonry working side by side with professional contractors. The contractors were paying them well because they knew they would stay, and they needed those young people.
This Bill is about creating parity and equality and ensuring they are valued as apprentices from day one and feel they are part of a team and a bigger picture. Other Members have spoken about the drop-out rates, which are significant and should be of concern to the Government, not just from the perspective of an economy going at full tilt but from the perspective of the well-being and self-esteem of those young people. This Bill will not bring those drop-out rates to zero, but it will ensure that young people - apprentices in precarious financial situations - will be able to make better and more informed decisions, not based simply on being able to afford to keep going. That could set young people back a great deal in life.
I thank Senator Cosgrove and my other two comrades in the Cross-Party Group. I thank the trade unions for supporting this legislation. I am disappointed that Government has chosen to oppose it, but I am proud to work with the Cross-Party Group to bring it forward.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2025-12-17/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:28+00:00
Sitting date: 2025-12-17