John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister is well aware of the issues regarding bogus self-employment, the potential loss of revenue to the State and the loss of entitlements for workers. Whatever they are now, the potential for the future is even more alarming, especially as the Department introduces auto-enrolment for pensions in which a worker will have to be clearly defined as an employee. At this point, we do not know if the self-employed will be allowed into the scheme. Leaving that aside, however, by not being an employee, a worker will not benefit from the employer's contribution and so forth.

As we move forward, it will become even more important than it is now. This piece of work is very important. The committee received an opening statement from the Department, which was quite informative. It will help the committee to set out the terms of what it does.

Deputy O'Dea's amendment states:

The Minister shall review the issue of bogus self-employment and its consequences, including the cost to the Exchequer and the implications for those who have been wrongly designated as self-employed and shall bring forward a report on the same within 3 months of this Bill being enacted.

It specifically refers to people being wrongly designated as self-employed. As far as I am concerned, that information resides with the Department. I refer to the decisions of the scope section in this regard. While the amendment calls for a report, it will not be a particularly comprehensive one. We are looking for the raw data. Those who have been through the scope section and, as Deputy Smith stated, dealt with the subsequent appeals-----

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