Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)

The way I read this section, I do not see any definition that confines the services concerned to professional services of the nature described by the Minister. The Minister said earlier in the debate that home help services provided by people under contract to the HSE could not be touched by this. My reading of section 10 is that these provisions could apply to a person providing a home help service. The term "professional service" is not even mentioned in the section, but only the word "service", which is not defined to confine it in the way the Minister said he intends. It seems he is taking on a general power to impose this reduction on anyone providing services, which I presume could include a person renting a property to the Department or providing home help — in fact, any person or class of persons in respect of any service they render. I do not see that the Minister has circumscribed it in the way he assured the House. He definitely gave the impression earlier that home help service providers could not be touched because they do not have pensions. The Minister needs to clarify this.

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