Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I very much did what I said I would do. As the Deputy is aware, because he discussed it with me, I introduced a seven-year transition from the age of seven to 14. The Deputy well knows that in this transition period we gave lone parents opportunities and encouragement to become involved in education and training - to become involved in the Department's activation services - but there is no obligation on lone parents to be actively seeking work, which is the basic requirement for jobseeker's allowance. During the seven-year transition period I hope and expect that the country will change child care very significantly for the better. We have already introduced the back-to-work family dividend scheme, in which hundreds of people have participated.

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