Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 16 October 2019
258. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection further to changes in budget 2020, the estimated cost of extending carer's and illness benefit to eligible self-employed class S PRSI contributors in 2021; and the first year and the full year cost of extending these benefits in tabular form. [42496/19]
View answer259. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated take-up in the first full year of extending carer's and illness benefit to eligible self-employed class S PRSI contributors. [42497/19]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 258 and 259 together.
The issue of extending additional social insurance benefits to the self-employed paying class S PRSI was considered in the Actuarial Review of the Social Insurance Fund (SIF) as at 31 December, 2015, which was published on 18 October 2017. The review, required by legislation, was carried out by independent consultants, KPMG. It examined the projected income and expenditure of the SIF over the course of the 55 year period from 2016 to 2071.
The following table shows the estimated cost of extending illness and carer's benefits to the self employed in the first year and the estimated cost in a full year as follows -
|
|
Illness |
Carer’s |
|
1st year |
€43.2m |
€2.4m |
|
Full year |
€54m |
€3m |
Latest Departmental estimates show that in the first full year of extension of illness and carer's benefit to the self-employed it is expected that there will be approximately 8,300 extra recipients of illness benefit and 400 extra recipients of carer's benefit at year end. These estimates assume the same incidence rate of illness/caring as for the general insured population.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
