Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)

The pilot system will work in Coolock in Dublin and Kilkenny. The test due to commence in October will focus on identifying and resolving the practical and administrative issues that may arise in advance of the scheme being introduced. They will work with all those who will benefit from the scheme. In the past we introduced new ideas which of themselves seemed beneficial only to find that when commenced they reduced benefits a person may have had or disimproved access to other services he or she may have had with the result that the overall position was not improved. The intention is to ensure we can give a broader role and better equip lone parents and their children to participate in society by creating an opportunity to work, to be educated and to live as normal a life as the rest of us.

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