Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The legislation went through all Stages of debate, as do all items of legislation, so there was ample debate on its passage. I will try to find employment for older people who want to work. That the legislation was passed is an acknowledgement that people are living longer and healthier and perhaps we must get industry to recognise that 65 is an arbitrary retirement age and people of 65, 66 or 67 are often willing and able to stay in their jobs. We need to start that discussion and get the magic number of 65 out of employers' heads and that will be considered by the Government.

I thank the Deputy for his welcome for the changes to the fuel allowances. It was one of the simplest things to do and arose from the suggestions of others. It has been exceptionally well received. In excess of 50,000 people have asked for their bulk payments to be made twice a year and as people talk with their feet, the measure obviously is being welcomed.

The Taoiseach did not yesterday say that we have the lone parents report on which he engaged with the Deputy last year because we have not yet received its final draft. As soon as it is issued to me, which I hope will be within the next week, it will be laid before the House and I will send a copy to the committee. Members are very aware that the significance of the findings made by the committee in its report on lone parents were not lost on me and the report reinforces my belief that it is difficult enough to bring up children when there are two parents in the household. Whatever the State can do to enable lone-parent families, which are mainly led by working mothers, to keep more of the money they are earning when they go back to work will be a very large priority for me, as I have said previously.

As I told Deputy Brady last week, the Government is not discriminating against those who are under 25. There are a variety of methods for a person between 18 and 25 who needs to take home €193 every week to so do. Back to education is only one option.

The ambition of the Department, the Government and most Deputies in Dáil Éireann is to get the unemployed or under-employed into full-time employment. JobPath was an ambitious programme launched by the previous Minister for Social Protection and it has hit the money. There was a target of finding full employment for 8% of the 120,000 people sent to JobPath in the past 18 months. Both Seetec and Turas Nua have exceeded their targets and found work for 15% of those people. It is working exceptionally well. It looks after the long-term unemployed and long-term under-employed. Those people who are in part-time work, to whom the Deputy specifically referred, and who are also claiming another welfare payment from the State are classified as under-employed. Their ambition is to be in full-time employment and the vast majority of them welcome the opportunity to work with JobPath. We conducted a survey of the 120,000 people who have gone through the doors of JobPath over the past 18 months and only approximately 300 people had a complaint. The vast majority found it exceptionally worthwhile and I suggest the 15% who have found full employment would speak about it in glowing terms. It is a project that has worked exceptionally well. Members are aware that it is going to come to an end but we will be reviewing what we do, how we do it and how to ensure that all the activation programmes we run are in the best interests of the unemployed or under-employed in finding full-time work.