Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Chairman made a really important point on a phenomenon that happens all the time. Every public representative who is dealing with applicants should remind them how important it is to sign for credits if they have an entitlement to a credit. I know exactly what the Deputy is talking about. I have met so many women who could have signed for credits, including people who became unemployed. I am not necessarily talking about people giving up employment on marriage to rear a family or to look after elderly relatives, for example. For some reason or other, certain people bypassed signing for credits. It is really important to remind people.