Home school tutors employment status
Deputy Burke asked that home school tutors be treated as employees rather than self-employed, so they can access benefits during school holidays. The Taoiseach said he was not familiar with the detail but would speak to the Deputy later.
I want to raise the issue of home school tutors. At the moment, they are regarded as self employed, yet they are paid by the Department of Education. They are on a category S stamp in relation to the social services. They are not entitled to get any benefits during the school holiday time period. It is my understanding that a number of cases are before the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC. It is time for the Department to deal with this issue and to treat them as employees rather than as being self-employed, in the same way as what has happened with RTÉ and many other organisations where people were being treated as self-employed contractors. In fact, these people are working full-time for the Department.
Comment on this
I am afraid I am not across the detail of the issue. We might have a chance to speak about this later. There is a scope section in the Department of Social Protection which generally makes the determination as to whether somebody is or is not self-employed.
I have a note here on adult education tutors in education and training boards, ETBs, but I do not think that is the issue the Deputy is raising. It is more a matter of home school tutors. Is that right?