Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I ask the Minister of State and his ministerial colleagues to examine this issue. This is an unfortunate category of people who, because they have a partner in full-time employment, are not eligible for social welfare payments. They can be out of work for years but they are not recognised on the live register or by the State for the purposes of rejoining the workforce. These people are forced to live off their partners' resources. We must recognise people who want to return to work and give them options through the programmes the State is offering. That has not been done, and I ask the Minister of State to examine this. Such people are important even though they do not take a payment from the State every week. It is an unfortunate position for anybody to be in.

See this speech in context