Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will not hold the Minister of State for too long. In 2015, we brought a Commencement matter to this House on class K PRSI, which county councillors were paying.We - four county councillors and I - were forced to go to the High Court on the class K case. Immediately, the Minister changed county councillors to class A PRSI. They did not make it retrospective and, by not making it retrospective, they have hurt the social welfare record of many county councillors who will not now qualify for a contributory old age pension. If they do, they will qualify for a reduced old age pension. I ask the Minister of State to look at that.

I commend Senator Frances Black. She has always been a great supporter of county councillors. She has gone around the country to meet them and knows exactly what they want. The Bill is very well intentioned and I congratulate her on it. I wish I was smart enough to bring it in before her. That is all I can say on that one. I thank her for that. The Minister of State might look at that issue I have raised. The other final one is about the word "allowance". The allowance we get for expenses, the councillors do not get in the same way.