Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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I move amendment No. 1:

In page 5, line 18, to delete “26 weeks” and substitute “one week”.

As was said, amendments Nos. 1 and 14 are related. Many groups that made submissions to the committee about this Bill recommended the removal of the eligibility criterion of being in employment for six months. It is our view that this would negatively impact lone parents who may need flexibility to take up a job in the first place, those returning to work following a period out of the labour market for care purposes, who are more likely to be women, as well as workers on temporary contracts, who are also more likely to be women. It is our view that retaining the eligibility criterion of being in employment for six months would prevent lone parents from taking up employment and therefore directly contribute to the ongoing high rate of poverty, which is at 13.1%, and deprivation, which is currently at 44.9% among this cohort of people.