Relevant Matter
Legislation
Public Policy Area
Social Protection
Period
1 Sep, 2023 to 31 Dec, 2023
Specific Details
Social Welfare (Amendment) Bill 2023
Intended results
To ensure that the rate of Class S Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI) voluntary payments for farmers in receipt of Farm Assist and those whose farming incomes do not exceed €5,000 remains at €500 and does not increase above this level.
To recommend that, similar to Jobseekers Allowance, subject to certain rules, Farm Assist should also be treated as a qualifying payment for social insurance contributions.
To highlight that farmers in receipt of Farm Assist pre-2007 were precluded from paying self-employed social insurance contributions which will result in those now approaching pension age not having an entitlement to contributory pensions. These are small farmers and fishers who were in receipt of Farm Assist or Fish Assist payments.
To recommend that, the means test for the State Pension - Non Contributory, should be revised with higher thresholds of income allowed before a reduced payment is made along with a reform of the means of assessing capital. The exemption for earned employed income by persons in receipt of a non-contributory pension should also be extended to self-employed income.
To highlight that, given the low levels of profitability on-farm, any potential increase in the Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI) rate would only add increased financial pressure on farm families, and hinder entrepreneurial activity.
To point out that recognition must be afforded to the divergence in terms of small to medium enterprise(SME) composition in Ireland relative to our European Union counterparts, and also to the fact that relative to employers, Class S contributions only cover a limited number of payments - i.e. they fail to include any short-term payments including illness and disability payments.
To propose that, rather than trying to derive higher contributions from those already contributing, a more equitable approach in the immediate term may be to increase the contributions through increased employment and increased self - employment as demonstrated in the pre-COVID era where and increasing surplus contribution trend was evident or consider charging a reduced rate for people attaining the age of 66 as currently you do not pay PRSI after the age of 66.
Name of person primarily responsible for lobbying on this activity
Alice Doyle IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs Chair, Claire McGlynn IFA Policy Executive
Did any Designated Public Official(DPO) or former Designated Public Official(DPO) carry out lobbying activities on your behalf in relation to this return? You must include yourself, and answer Yes, if you are a current DPO or a DPO at any time in the past. (What is a Designated Public Official?)
No
Did you manage or direct a grassroots campaign?
No
Was this lobbying done on behalf of a client?
No
Lobbying activity
The following activities occurred for this specific Subject Matter Area.
Designated public officials lobbied
The following DPOs were lobbied during this return period on this specific Subject Matter Area. These DPOs were involved in at least one of the Lobbying Activities listed above, but not necessarily all of them.
As returns are specific to a Subject Matter Area the above Lobbying Activities may be associated with multiple returns.
Denis Naughten
TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)
Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire
TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)
Éamon Ó Cuív
TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)
Eugene Murphy
Senator (Seanad)
Jackie Cahill
TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)
Joan Collins
TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)
Joe Carey
TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh
TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)
Mark Wall
Senator (Seanad)
Paddy Burke
Senator (Seanad)
Paul Donnelly
TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)
Paul Gavan
Senator (Seanad)
Róisín Garvey
Senator (Seanad)