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

There was a couple of factors. I believe the FEMPI legislation in question was from 2011 but I will double-check it. The basic principle that I have applied to any change to social insurance treatment for councillors was that they should get fair treatment, not special treatment. That is why they will continue to pay PRSI but on the same basis that it is paid by an employee or self-employed person. I am loath to do anything that would not be done for any other group, such as converting one stamp to another stamp, introducing retrospectivity or allowing retrospective contributions.We will have another Bill in the late spring or early summer with a number of reforming measures and there is a chance between now and then to look at this and to see if we can do something that way.