Dáil debates

Tuesday, 23 November 2010

3:00 am

Photo of Éamon Ó CuívÉamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

It is not that simple. Some people who were self-employed give it up for many reasons and might decide they had enough income in the household to live on without being self-employed. That is a personal choice. It is very important that the social welfare code is a safety net for those whose income drops beneath a certain threshold. One of the concerns I have had for a long time is the issue of self employed people who became unemployed. Deputy Ring will know that for a long time I have believed the fairest system for the applicant and the State - if one is self-employed and allowed to have a self-employed income it is very hard to monitor it - is to offer work through activation. When one gets busy again one will not be able to do both and in the meantime one is contributing to society through one's work.

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