Eric J. Byrne
Question:277 Mr. Byrne asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will give details of the amount which has been paid by employers who benefited from his amnesty for non-payment of pay related social insurance due to the Exchequer.
Written Answers. - PRSI Amnesty.
The amnesty from prosecution to which the Deputy refers operated in the context of special control of abuse measures which were introduced by my Department last year. The purpose of the amnesty was to give an opportunity to employers who had not met their PRSI obligations, and to others who were wrongfully in receipt of social welfare payments, to come forward and put their affairs in order.
The collection of PRSI arrears is primarily a matter for the Office of the Revenue Commissioners. It is not possible to separately identify from other PRSI receipts the amounts collected by or remitted to the Revenue Commissioners directly as a result of the amnesty provision.
However, I am satisfied that the amnesty did contribute in a substantial way to the success of the special control measures operated by my Department last year.