Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)

The Deputy's proposal that self-employed people be allowed to make full contributions at class A level is worth examining. The advisory group on social welfare and taxation, which is currently examining the issue of family supports and child payments in the social welfare system, will next consider the issue of social welfare for the self-employed. We are all aware that during the boom, the last thing on the minds of many people, particularly young men in the construction industry, was making large social insurance contributions, because it felt as though the boom would never end. I am aware of what the Deputy is saying; many of those people have ended up in difficult circumstances. If we want to have a proper welfare system, we must start designing the system so that the self-employed are included as well.

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