Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

741. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the extent to which the previously self employed and current unemployed are able to access the relevant welfare payments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39890/17]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Government is committed to encouraging self-employment and entrepreneurship. This includes enhancing the position of the self-employed through a supportive tax regime and, very importantly, improving the level of PRSI based benefits available to self-employed people.

Self-employed persons are liable for PRSI at the Class S rate of 4% which covers them for access long-term benefits such as State pension (contributory) and widow's, widower's or surviving civil partner's pension (contributory) as well as some treatment benefits, maternity benefit, adoptive benefit and guardians payment (contributory).

Since March 2017, Class S contributions have enabled self-employed people access to the treatment benefit scheme which includes free eye and dental examinations, and contributions towards the cost of hearing aids. Treatment benefit entitlements will also be extended from October 2017 so as to provide further dental and optical benefits.

Even more significantly, self-employed contributors will be covered for invalidity pension from December 2017. For the first time, this will give the self-employed access to the safety net of State income supports if they become permanently incapable of work as a result of an illness or disability without having to go through a means test. This is a real advance in the level of cover available to the self-employed.

Self-employed workers may also access social welfare supports by establishing eligibility to assistance-based payments such as jobseeker’s allowance and disability allowance. A person may qualify for the means-tested jobseeker’s allowance if their business ceases or if they are on low income as a result of a downturn in demand for their services.

People who were previously self-employed and are now in receipt of jobseeker’s allowance – and thus are on the Live Register – have access to the full range of activation measures and supports available to other jobseeker’s allowance recipients. This includes referral to group information sessions, 1-2-1 interviews and subsequent caseworker support. It also includes access to training, temporary employment, work-experience and recruitment subsidy programmes.

Any decision to improve these provisions in relation to self-employed persons would be a matter for Government to consider in a Budgetary context.