Minister for Business and Employment Ged Nash has called for there to be an increase to the minimum wage over the next few years. 

Nash stated that a Low Pay Commission would be established to examine whether the current rate of €8.65 was still appropriate, and the aim would be to increase that amount over an extended period.

The minister added that there had not been a real raise since 2007, and the Labour TD opened the call for applications to the commission from today onwards that would seek to consult with the Department of Finance, those who were on the minimum wage and employers to help make an adjustment that would take "the politics out of setting the National Minimum Wage."

Nash called for those with "worker and employer backgrounds, civil society groups and labour market experts" to apply, according to RTÉ, and the body will use data from the Central Statistics Office as well as consulting with the various groups involved to reach a consensus on the appropriate increase. 

This news comes off the back of new figures from Eurostat that showed that the Irish have less disposable income than our European counterparts and that our property market is once again booming, with it now being the fastest growing in the world

Via RTÉ