Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 2:

In page 7, between lines 27 and 28, to insert the following: “Report on revised and progressive schedule of PRSI increases

4. The Minister shall, within three months of the passing of this Act, prepare and lay before Dáil Éireann a report on a revised and progressive schedule of PRSI increases in the years 2024 to 2029 which maintains the rate of employee PRSI at 4 percent.”.

The amendment is related to the previous one. I thought this one might be ruled out of order and the first might be ruled in. It is the first time I have seen a deletion of lines ruled out of order due to a charge on the Exchequer. It is a peculiar adjudication, I must say. It is similar to the sections we raised during the Committee Stage discussions. We agree with the proposal to move towards a pay-related jobseeker's model. Our concern relates to the increases in PRSI during a cost-of-living crisis for employees. I outlined in detail on Second Stage how the Social Insurance Fund could be kept on a sustainable footing by increasing PRSI for employers with regard to employers' PRSI on incomes above €100,000. That would keep the fund sustainable over the next couple of years. In any event, that is our view. We do not agree with the increases in PRSI. That is the purpose of amendments Nos. 1 and 2, albeit amendment No. 1 was ruled out of order.

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