Employment Affairs and Social Protection Committee to examine Illness Benefit delays, bogus self-employment

The meeting at 10 a.m. in Committee Room 4 can be viewed live here and on Android and Apple devices using the Houses of the Oireachtas app.

Scheduled witnesses include Secretary General John McKeon and several other officials from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection.

“The Committee is keen to hear an explanation for why some 55,000 recipients of Illness Benefit recently were kept waiting for days or weeks to get their payments,” said Committee Chairman John Curran TD. “For many people, this payment is their only source of income while they are unable to work due to illness.”

Deputy Curran said the Committee also will examine efforts to identify and deter employers from defining members of their work force as self-employed contractors.

“Following Thursday’s engagement with departmental officials, the Committee intends to delve further into this topic in coming months with the Revenue Commissioners and other key stakeholders,” Deputy Curran said.