Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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In late 2020, my Department commenced an investigation into the PRSI classification of RTÉ’s contractors. RTE provided the Department with lists of workers engaged on a contract basis in 2018, 2019 and 2020 and these formed the basis of the investigation. These amount to 695 workers over the period. The scale of the Department’s investigation in RTE is significant and further workers may be brought into the scope of the investigation as it proceeds.

Employment status investigations can be complex; each case involves at least two parties and each case must be investigated having regard to its own facts and with an opportunity for each party to be interviewed and to make and respond to submissions.

The estimate of 15 years which the Deputy refers to was provided by RTE at a meeting of the Public Accounts Committee on 12 October.

It is not an estimate with which the Department agrees.

Clearly, it is in the interests of workers, RTÉ and the Department that the investigations are progressed in a timely and efficient manner.

It is a matter for RTE and the worker concerned to separately decide on their approach to the Department’s investigation, including whether to agree to a reclassification at the outset of an investigation or to appeal any resulting decisions by the Department.

The employer and the worker are entitled to have each case investigated separately and to have a separate decision issued.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.