Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

With the Deputy Broughan and other Deputies, I have had the privilege of meeting a significant number of community organisations in Dublin North-East at different times during the years and know that the Deputy is heavily involved in community employment and other initiatives to help people to get back to work. I know he is committed to this work. The changes being made are significant. When the lone parent schemes were first introduced, it was anticipated that people would be in receipt of the lone parent allowance for 18 to 22 years. I have looked at what happens in other countries and in almost all of them efforts are made to help people to get back to work when a child is about five years of age. This happens in the North, elsewhere in the United Kingdom and most of Scandinavia. In some countries it happens when the child is just one year old. In our case I have considered the 18 year period and suggested an intervention when the child reaches seven years of age when he or she would be in first class. This could happen earlier if a parent wanted to become involved. I want to encourage people to get back to education and training in order that they can attain a qualification, whether it be a FETAC qualification, a college degree or something else, that will help them to find part-time or full-time work, depending on their family circumstances and caring commitments. That is what it is all about. People are very anxious to do this.

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