Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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973.To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if consideration would be given to adding class S PRSI contributions onto the list that count towards illness benefit, in the view of the fact that self-employed workers paying class S PRSI are left without adequate financial support when faced with illness; and if she will make a statement on the matter.[34838/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Illness benefit is the primary short term income support provided by my Department to those who are unable to work due to illness of any type and who are covered by social insurance.

Eligibility for illness benefit depends on the person’s PRSI record and class. The person must have made the required number of contributions under class A, E, H or P to qualify. In general, self-employed people make PRSI contributions at Class S which does not provide entitlement to illness benefit.

Self-employed people pay contributions to the Social Insurance Fund at a lower rate of 4%. This is 11 percentage points lower than the combined employer and employee contribution of 15.05% made in respect of employed contributors. However, self-employed contributors do have access to over 90% of benefits available to employed contributors including;

• Adoptive Benefit;
• Guardian's Payment (Contributory);
• Invalidity Pension;
• Jobseeker's Benefit (Self-Employed);
• Maternity Benefit;
• Parent's Benefit;
• Partial Capacity Benefit (where in receipt of Invalidity Pension);
• Paternity Benefit;
• State Pension (Contributory);
• Treatment Benefit; and
• Widows, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner's (Contributory) Pension.