I want to raise the issue of self-employed people when they become sick or unable to work. Over the past few months, I have been contacted by a couple of people in my constituency in County Donegal who have worked all their lives. They are self-employed workers who have worked hard, pay their taxes and PRSI contributions and contributed greatly to the economy and local communities. However, when illness strikes, they feel abandoned by the system. Unlike employees, who may have access to sick pay from their employers, many self-employed people have little or no financial protection when they become ill. A person can spend years building up a small business, working long hours and supporting their family only to find themselves under huge financial pressure when they become sick or unable to work. I am hearing from people who are struggling to access illness benefit, struggling to qualify for supports and facing long delays and confusion around medical card eligibility.

One of the biggest concerns is the medical card means test. A self-employed person may have a business, equipment and turnover that appear to be good on paper and appears to be earning a small amount of money but the criteria used do not make sense. Many people feel the system has abandoned them. I am asking the Minister to review this. Let us support self-employed people. They are the people who get up in the morning. They have the drive and determination to own their own business and get out and work for the country and I think we need to look after them.