Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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Question 26: To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the liaisons he has had with the Department of Social Protection regarding changes to the sick pay regime; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11545/12]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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The Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Joan Burton, who has policy responsibility for the Illness Benefit scheme, held a consultative meeting recently to discuss the feasibility and potential impacts of introducing a Statutory Sick Pay scheme in Ireland. This was very much a first step in considering a range of issues that need to be examined in detail before any proposals can be progressed to Government for possible implementation. Minister Burton clearly indicated at the consultative forum that nothing has been decided yet in relation to Statutory Sick Pay.

Officials from my Department and Forfás attended Minister Burton's initial consultative forum, along with a number of business representative organisations. Forfás commented at the forum that any proposal that would increase costs for business would be of concern, and that further work was required to assess the potential cost of the proposal to enterprise, how these costs might be borne across different sectors, what implications these costs might have for employment, and what other actions could be taken to achieve the required goal of reducing the cost to the Exchequer of Illness Benefit.

I also appreciate the concerns of business representative bodies about the cost a Statutory Sick Pay scheme impose have on businesses. For these reasons, while I recognise that there are legitimate issues regarding the management of Illness Benefit budgets, it is clear that further research is required before any decision can be made by the Government on a Statutory Sick Pay scheme.