John Cummins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. I appreciate the actuarial review that was done, which needs to be considered. If there is to be an increase in benefits, while I would not necessarily agree with the 12% increase in the rate outlined, people would be willing to support a modest increase in PRSI to adjust towards paying for that.While the S class is a problem, not being able to look at cumulative contributions is a wider issue in the context of the case I outlined. It is definitely not the only case where that has happened. I am asking that cumulative contributions, albeit for a different class, namely, class A, can be looked at over a three, four or five-year period, rather than just looking at 2020 and 2021. This individual and others have a long track record of contributions but because of the issues in 2021 they are being penalised for getting ill in 2023.