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

It is certainly not a Government priority but it is an option, one that I think is worthy of consideration. It is the norm, or at least commonplace, across advanced European welfare systems to have pay-related benefits such that if a person who has been paying PRSI into the system for many years loses his or her job, that person gets a higher payment, at least in the initial weeks and months of unemployment, which helps the person to adjust to a sudden loss in income. It is very commonplace in Nordic welfare systems. The Deputy referred to the German welfare system. It is something that is worthy of consideration here as well. Such a system used to exist in Ireland. We had pay-related benefits previously but they were phased out as part of necessary reductions in spending. If it can be afforded from the Social Insurance Fund, then I think it is worthy of consideration. I do not think it is the only welfare reform that is worthy of consideration; of course, there are others that merit consideration too.

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