Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)

I put it to the Minister that such a scheme would be unjust in that employers are already paying illness benefit substantially through employer's PRSI. There is no doubt the cost of such a scheme would be passed on to employees. It has a tremendous capacity to destroy jobs at the very time we least need to do something of that nature.

What are the Minister's views on the reasoning put forward that part of the effect of such a scheme would be to combat and reduce absenteeism in the private sector? Does he agree that this is a baseless argument, in that absenteeism in the private sector is running at approximately 2.5%, which is less than half of the public sector's figure?

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