Thank you all for your kind replies.
And to add to the misery, the company worked for has no money to pay out redundancy, so it has to go through the DSP channels for statutory, and nothing yet.
@ Monbretia, I think what you said is what was indicated.
In the DSP office, the officer saw that self employment was returned (a Saturday night, 4 hours) and said NO.
She said if you de register from IT we will look at it again.
So OK, a person works full time for 30 years, pays full PRSI all those years. DECLARES a piddling bit of self employment, and is entitled to NOTHING, but is being encouraged to work on the Black in order to get 188 a week!!
You really couldn't make this up.
But anyway, the subsidiary employment paragraph in the CA website mentions self employment, but it is not very clear either.
Looks to me that paying full PRSI is useless unless you do NOT register for IT for any little bit of self employment. That is so counter productive.
Thanks again, and I would welcome views on this kind of situation.
As I said before the person is not FULLY self employed, just a few hours a week. If it hadn't been declared/returned would have got the dole. Seems very strange to me.