Leo Varadkar has promised to extend dole to self employed in next Budget

The Social Protection Minister is promising to extend the dole to the self-employed in Budget 2018.

It follows steps to improve the entitlements for the self employed, after they got access to treatment benefits and invalidity pensions for the first time this month.

An estimated 350,000 people are self employed across the country.

Leo Varadkar says it is important they are supported: "The cows won't milk themselves, if you are not available someone has to do the job for you and potentially you have to pay them.

"So as a Government we have been committed to doing something to help the self employed to give them more income, to give them more social protection and also to encourage more people into self employment and entrepreneurship."