On the issue of FIS for the self-employed and farmers, Deputy Jim O'Keeffe alleged that the scheme discriminates against self- employed people and asked whether there was any logic to that. The scheme was established in 1984 specifically to provide an incentive to low paid employees with families to take up or return to full-time employment. Deputy O'Keeffe was appointed as a Minister of State at the Department of Finance in 1986 and I do not doubt that he had an opportunity to change the scheme had he wished to do so. Deputy Dukes was the Minister for Finance at that time and former Deputy Barry Desmond was the Minister for Social Welfare. There may well have been some dispute between Deputy Dukes and Barry Desmond on the matter.
In 1996, under Partnership 2000, the then Government could also have changed the scheme. I clearly recall that the scheme did not form part of Partnership 2000, particularly in regard to farmers. Deputy De Rossa was the Minister for Social Welfare at that time and Deputy Quinn was the Minister for Finance. There are practical difficulties associated with the extension of this scheme to the self-employed and they cannot be underestimated.
Arrangements are already in place for self-employed people on low incomes through the unemployment assistance scheme and there is a substantial cost involved there. Deputy Broughan acknowledged my Committee Stage comment that this issue might be better addressed through the taxation system and the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness contains a commitment to examine the issue.
On the matter of assistance for self-employed people who pass out of the back to work allowance scheme, it was stated that assistance was withdrawn after a period of two years when, in fact, assistance is provided for four years. A number of initiatives has been introduced to assist self-employed people – a training and technical fund is available to self-employed scheme participants to assist them in areas such as book-keeping and marketing and to assist in the purchase of equipment, and arrangements have also been put in place by my Department, in conjunction with the First Step organisation, to allow self-employed people to avail of interest free loans. Assistance is available to self-employed people under the back-to-work allowance scheme. I cannot accept the amendments.