Derek Nolan (Galway West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I particularly welcome Mr. Walshe and I congratulate him on being the first person to present a petition. It may sound corny but it is historic. His basic point is that setting a number of days for something that people may wish to do is arbitrary and if somebody was suitable for going back to education, he or she should be able to do so, while Ms O'Brien said there should be greater flexibility. Mr. Egan said that as case management and client profiling develop, the Department's idea is to create discretion. This would involve assessing the likely contribution courses would make. Is everyone singing from the same hymn sheet regarding the ideal solution? Mr. Walshe says there is no point having an arbitrary cut off point, Ms O'Brien says if it is the best case for a person, he or she should be able to access education or whatever and Mr. Egan is saying client interaction and discretion should be provided earlier if it is more suitable.