Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Programme for a Partnership Government commits to seeking “to introduce a PRSI scheme for the self-employed and provide a supportive tax regime for entrepreneurs and the self-employed". Significant progress has been made in the last Budget on extending the level of cover available to self-employed PRSI contributors. Self-employed contributors now have access to treatment benefits since last March and will have access to invalidity pension next December. This is a real advance in the level of cover available to the self-employed.

It is planned to continue extending cover for other benefits to the self-employed on a phased basis in future Budgets. This year, my Department will examine the extension of social insurance to cover new risks and contingencies.

An Actuarial Review of Social Insurance Fund is currently underway. One of the issues being examined by the independent consultants undertaking the Review is the potential costs in future years of extending cover for a range of social insurance benefits to self-employed contributors including the projected PRSI contribution rates which would be required to extend such cover on a revenue neutral basis. It is planned to publish the completed review next August.

The outcome of the review, including the potential costs associated with further extensions of benefits to the self-employed, will feed into the examination being carried out by my Department.