Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Seanadóir as an ábhar seo a chur ar chlár oibre an tSeanaid inniu. Illness benefit is the primary short-term income support provided by the Department to those who cannot work due to illness of any type and who are covered by social insurance. Eligibility for illness benefit depends on the person's PRSI record and class. People must have made the required number of contributions of class A, E, H or P to qualify. In general, self-employed people make PRSI contributions in class S, which does not count towards eligibility for illness benefit, as the Senator has outlined. However, self-employed contributors who cannot work due to an illness or disability may apply for disability allowance and means-tested social assistance payment or invalidity pension, a social insurance payment.

Illness benefit is funded by the Social Insurance Fund through PRSI contributions. The fund is central to our social protection system and the Government needs to make sure it can provide adequate and sustainable social insurance pensions and benefits for a growing and ageing population. Self-employed people pay contributions to the fund at a lower rate of 4%. This is over 11 points lower than the combined employer and employee contribution of 15.05% made in respect of employed contributors. Since 2017, self-employed contributors have gained access to a number of social insurance benefits such as invalidity pension, treatment benefit, jobseeker's benefit, self-employed paternity and parents' benefit without any increase in their rate of contribution.

Self-employed contributors now have access to over 90% of benefits available from the fund. The Senator outlined these. They are adoptive benefit, guardian's payment contributory, invalidity pension, jobseeker's benefit, benefit payment for 65-year-olds, maternity benefit, parent's benefit, partial capacity benefit where in receipt of invalidity pension, paternity benefit, contributory State pension, treatment benefit, and the widow's, widower's or surviving civil partner's contributory pension. The only benefits in class S that are not provided are carer's benefit, health and safety benefit, illness benefit and occupational injuries benefits.

The actuarial review of the Social Insurance Fund, published in March, found that if illness benefit was extended to self-employed contributors on a cost-neutral basis, an increase of 12% to the class S PRSI rate would be required. Extending the other remaining benefits to the self-employed would require the class S rate to increase by 15%. The review also found that self-employed contributors already have materially better value for money from the Social Insurance Fund when compared with their employed counterparts despite not having access to all the benefits. I am aware that we do not have the specific circumstances of the individual case the Senator outlined today, but if he wants to pass on those details, we will make sure the Department can look into them fully. The Minister has given the Senator that commitment and expresses her regrets that she cannot be here.