Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for his good wishes.

As he may be aware, in late 2020, the Department of Social Protection commenced an investigation into the PRSI classification of RTÉ's contractors. RTÉ provided the Department with lists of 695 workers who were engaged on a contract basis in 2018, 2019 and 2020 and these form the basis of the investigation. The scale of the investigation in RTÉ is significant and further workers may be brought into the scope of the investigation as it proceeds. It is in the interests of workers, RTÉ and the Department that the investigations are progressed in a timely and efficient manner. In conducting these investigations, a fundamental objective is, first, to ensure workers do not suffer a loss of entitlement to social insurance benefits as a consequence of misclassification and, second, to ensure employers collect and remit the correct amount in social insurance contributions. Where the investigation identifies that this has not been the case, the worker's record is corrected and employers are required to remit the correct value of contributions backdated as appropriate. To date, 138 scope decisions have issued, of which 93 were determined to have an employee status and 45 to be self-employed. I will write to the Deputy with further information on this. I am happy for the Government to engage.

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