Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The media campaign on false self-employment was aimed at ensuring there would be better public awareness of the important service the Department provided in determining employment status and helping to develop a better understanding of the scale and nature of false self-employment. The main advertising campaign was run over a two-week period, with digital and social media promotions continuing for a further two weeks. As a first step, the campaign directed people to a dedicated page on my Department's website. The website provides important information on the impact of false self-employment and the criteria used to determine whether someone is an employee or self-employed, as well as contact information for the Scope section within my Department, the Workplace Relations Commission and the Revenue Commissioners. The new web page attracted more than 10,500 visits during the campaign, with an average time of more than three minutes spent on the page, which is regarded as very favourable, given people's reduced attention span these days.

The Scope section received approximately 50 calls and 30 emails during the campaign from individuals who had become aware of the service directly as a result of the ad campaign. Feedback suggests the detailed information available on the dedicated website appears to have been successful in addressing issues for many people who contacted us. The majority of callers confirmed that they had visited the website first before contacting the Department. Ten formal applications for a Scope decision were registered in the first week.

Staff in the Scope section, the communications unit and the social welfare inspectorate were involved in the campaign as part of their regular duties. An additional executive officer, EO, has been allocated to the Scope section on a permanent basis. The Scope section has six EOs who are deciding officers. Social welfare inspectors are undertaking targeted employer inspections based on the feedback gathered during the campaign. They will focus on the sectors identified and companies reported to the Scope section during that time. While the number of direct contacts with the Scope section has been small, I am satisfied that the campaign has been successful in raising public awareness of the issue of false self-employment, but as the Deputy and I both know, we have a long way to go.

See this speech in context