Ms Mary Kennedy:

The advisory group looked at one issue relating to how the self-employed are different from employees in respect of illness, especially a short-term illness situation. A self-employed person has the ability to have her business continue. I realise Senator Moloney was referring to the plumber or the carpenter but because the self-employed are a different group, there is no one-size-fits-all for them since there are so many people encompassed by the global title or name. Therefore, many different things need to be taken into consideration. That is why the group came down with the invalidity pension and particular schemes that were necessary. A self-employed person, unlike an employee, might have the ability to survive for a period either by having others working for her or by recovering what she might have lost while she was out sick and so on. That is why the recommendations were made for longer-term cover.

Senator Moloney asked the question - it was raised at the committee last year as well - about the figure of 15% or 16% for the self-employed versus the figure of 14.75% for employees. The most recent actuarial review was in 2010. There were other reviews in 2000 and 2005 but the most recent review was at the end of 2010.