Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I was comparing the Department figures with Mr. O'Connor's figures. I looked at a lone parent with a particular number of children and I compared the income to be received from a social employment scheme with what a student nurse receives. The student nurse was coming out a lot worse. The student nurse would be better off financially in the end because he or she would have a career progression over the years, earn a reasonable salary and have a permanent and pensionable job. I still believe there is an issue that needs to be addressed. If double payments were not restored, what would Mr. O'Connor suggest as a support for a lone parent? What should the Department do, in his view, to support lone parents and people with disabilities?