Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The proposal to extend the timeframe is helpful. The Minister will accept that we are starting from a very low base. Those who will be required to sign on will no longer be regarded as lone parents. One cannot sign on unless one is available for full-time work, as opposed to part-time work. Those who do not get child care places will have a serious dilemma. When they sign on, they may well be offered places on Tús schemes, community employment schemes or education placements. What can they do with their children if they accept such offers, as they might well love to do, but they do not get child care places?

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