Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 55 and 62 together.

The Government is committed to encouraging self-employment and entrepreneurship. This includes enhancing the position of the self-employed through a supportive tax regime and, very importantly, improving the level of PRSI-based benefits available to self-employed people. This has been one of my key priorities since becoming Minister in this Department.

On budget day I was pleased to announce important measures which will directly benefit the self-employed. From March 2017, the self-employed will have access to the treatment benefit scheme, which includes free eye and dental examinations, and contributions towards the cost of hearing aids. Treatment benefit entitlements will also be extended from October 2017 to provide further dental and optical benefits. More significantly, self-employed contributors will be eligible to apply for the invalidity pension from December 2017. For the first time, this will give the self-employed access to the safety net of State income supports if they become permanently incapable of work as a result of an illness or disability, without having to go through a means test. This is a real advance in the level of cover available to the self-employed.

I plan to continue extending cover for the self-employed to other benefits on a phased basis in future budgets. Throughout 2017 my Department will examine the extension of social insurance to cover other risks and contingencies, including, crucially, developing proposals on a form of jobseeker's benefit where a person's business fails or where they can no longer continue working in their profession or trade. I look forward to making further improvements in the years ahead.

See this speech in context