Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As I said to Deputy Michael McGrath, my early thinking on this is that it is a very complicated project and that I have yet to get to the point of even determining the terms of reference that would eventually lead to the paper I mentioned earlier. I want to deepen the contributory principle. From my experience of these systems in other jurisdictions, however, I want to evaluate whether such a system should be entirely contributory. I do not want to get to a point where we put in place a system that deepens some of our present difficulties whereby people are aware of benefits to which they believe they are entitled, only to subsequently find out that their contributions are simply nowhere near enough to allow them to get access to those benefits. I want to think through this issue carefully if we are looking to have a broader, more resilient form of social insurance. I aim to do this through setting the terms of reference for this paper and then having the work completed across next year.

On Deputy Burton's point about medical expenses, I think that system could possibly include such a provision. At this early point, however, I am looking more at services and at benefits that we could deliver to people. Looking at some of the changes that we are beginning to make to dental and optical benefits for the self-employed, for example, I am aware that people have been articulating similar needs for invalidity and sickness benefits for such people. This, then, is also one of the areas that I want my Department to work through for me.