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

I will have to get back to the Deputy with the details on that. The self-employed will be able to apply for invalidity pension but not illness benefit. There is a difference between the schemes but the criteria for the self-employed will be the same as for employees for invalidity pension.

The costs for 2017 are €1.5 million; €23 million for 2018 and €38 million for 2019 but it is very much an estimate. We do not know for certain the number of people who have been paying PRSI at class S as self-employed are unable to work long-term because of illness or injury. It is one of these measures for which we will find out a definite cost when the scheme is in place, although so far I have found the officials in my Department to be fairly accurate in their costings. I hope it will come in a little cheaper than that but we will know when it happens.

In terms of maternity benefit, maternity benefit flows from maternity leave so it is a matter for the Minister for Justice and Equality and the Oireachtas to make a decision on maternity leave but if that decision is made, we will follow on with that in terms of maternity benefit.

I did not have a chance to follow the debate but I can see the compelling case that may exist for extending maternity leave and maternity benefit where a child is born prematurely. However, we would need to think it through because children born prematurely can be very healthy and not spend any more time in hospital than any other child yet other children who are born full term or who come late have to spend a good deal of time in hospital due to all sorts of problems and issues. We would need to look at the entire area in the round.

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