Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Question 160: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the action she will take to ensure that the social insurance fund is kept in surplus. [3225/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The legislation covering the Social Insurance Fund (SIF) established a tripartite funding arrangement with the Exchequer acting as a residual financier to contributions from employees and employers. In fact, Exchequer contributions to cover funding shortfalls from employer and employee contributions have been the norm since the establishment of the SIF.

Since 1996, there has been an annual surplus in the fund as a result of contributions from the latter which gave rise to an accumulated surplus of some €3.6bn at the end of 2007. During 2008 the fund experienced a deficit on a current basis and the excess of outgoings over income is being met at present from the accumulated surplus.

The approaches to the current and future deficits are matters for the Government to consider in a budgetary context.