Maria Byrne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Acting Chairman for the opportunity to speak on this Bill today. I welcome the Bill. It proposes a host of measures, including paternity leave, the restoration of farm assist, protection for the self-employed, which is most important and has never happened before, increases in the back-to-education allowance and the provision of over 50,000 school meals. These are all very important measures.

One could ask why the Bill is significant. It sends out the message that the Minister and Government were listening to people when they were on the doorsteps last February. The Bill deals with issues we all came across.

Statistics show that month by month, the economy has grown and the unemployment rate has fallen.Yet, the recovery has not been felt by everybody in the same way and the consequences of Brexit undermine the viability of some small businesses, while others are yet to face the true cost. Some businesses are struggling with rising insurance costs, minimum wage increases and a host of other factors that have put many self-employed people in a precarious position. This is the reality for more than 325,000 people.

The position before the introduction of this Bill was that small business owners were means tested to calculate their eligibility for social welfare assistance. Their assets often worked against small business owners when it came to the question of whether they could avail of many of the protections their employees could enjoy. The answer was most frequently "no". They could not be protected when hard times came. Proposed changes such as extending the invalidity pension, granting access to dental and optical benefits and the medical appliance scheme are examples of the ways the Bill seeks to thank those drivers of economic growth, the self-employed. These people are the human face behind the statistics and the reason Ireland is recovering. However, not all self-employed people succeed and, for reasons entirely beyond their control, what was once a strong and profitable enterprise may be in trouble. Unlike larger businesses and companies, which could absorb the cost, many small businesses quickly closed their shutters for the final time.

An ESRI report published this month revealed some worrying findings. Those particularly at risk of poverty are lone parents who are self-employed. According to the Mangan report of 2009, the median income of self-employed people was only €20,000. The self-employed were at a 16.4% risk of poverty compared with 14.1% for the whole population. Too often, these facts are not discussed in the general political discourse. More must be done to encourage people to pursue their ambitions, take risks and start their own businesses. Ireland has long outperformed the global community in developing business leaders. It is time that we extended the protections available to those who have fallen on hard times and who, despite the difficulties they face, hold immense potential that can be realised in the towns of Ireland.

I particularly welcome the increase in the back-to-education allowance and the announcement that 35,000 more children will have school breakfasts. These simple measures have enormous effects for those who avail of them, given that they allow children to participate in school with the best possible start to their day. The ESRI has shown that the 2017 budget has had the most positive effect on those less fortunate and such measures serve as examples of what can be done to tackle inequality and poverty.

I refer to the transfer of councillors to class S for their PRSI payments, which is most welcome. Many Members, having been councillors in the past, served and paid class K but received no benefit from it. I pay tribute to the Association of Irish Local Government, AILG, and the Local Authority Members Association, LAMA, for the work they did with the Minister on the proposals in this regard. I welcome the fact that the Minister has listened and will go ahead with it. I commend the Bill to the House. It will be of great benefit to our country.