Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

In alluding to the means test, does the Tánaiste accept that, even as things are, there needs to be a communications campaign to make people's entitlements clear? Often, people do not distinguish between jobseeker's benefit and jobseeker's allowance. For some time, the Fianna Fáil position has been that we would favour the introduction on a voluntary basis of a phased scheme whereby jobseeker's benefit and illness benefit would be payable to the self-employed. We see that as part of our commitment to developing an entrepreneurial culture. The idea that the self-employed could opt into such a scheme seems to us to be practical, although the Tánaiste is suggesting that an opt-in would not be a positive.

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