Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I am certainly prepared to look at it because I know that people in the fishing industry work very hard, particularly the inshore fishermen. It is a tough occupation. There is not a vast amount of money in it except from time to time. However, if they decided to go with the class P contribution, and the Deputy is indicating they would accept paying the extra 4% on the terms and conditions, it gives rise to quite good benefits including jobseeker's benefit for 13 weeks and illness benefit for up to 52 weeks but the reports of the advisory group advocated that for an extra 1.5%, all self-employed people would get invalidity benefit. Unfortunately, many of the associations and organisations representing self-employed people in different categories were opposed to that. They suggested doing it on a voluntary basis but it is impossible to do a comprehensive social insurance scheme on a voluntary basis because like all insurance, it is based on many people taking out cover and those who need it benefiting from it.

10 o’clock

I will ask my officials to look at it.

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