Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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Promoting signing on for credits has been mentioned. That is important. To address another point, the National Women's Council of Ireland was invited to attend but was not able to do so this time. Compared with other countries, a high percentage of women here are not working. Our processes are not reaching many women. We need to do more about that.

I encounter many young people, so I am not sure that I agree with the suggestion that, if their parents are over the threshold but not well off, they can access services. Sometimes, a young adult might not see eye to eye with or be supported by his or her parents.

The other situation I have dealt with is that of parents who are absolutely tearing their hair out trying to get young people to engage, but it is difficult because, since they are not in the system, they do not qualify for the payment. It is very hard when one tries to get the person to sign on for credits. In the past there has been a lack of knowledge in some social welfare offices about people’s entitlement to sign on for credits. It is worth thinking about having a poster in every social welfare office which explains who can sign on for credits and what signing on for credits can do in terms of eligibility for schemes such as JobBridge. The use of social media can be a cheap way to carry out promotional campaigns, and social media are where younger people are at. This is another thing the Department should think about.