Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It might only be a small percentage of the overall number of jobseekers, but the numbers have still increased quite dramatically. It is a sword of Damocles that hangs over the head of every jobseeker in the country. Has the Minister carried out an assessment of the impact the sanctions have on compliance and employment? Has he assessed the quality and sustainability of the type of employment being offered? Has he put safeguards in place, or is he considering putting them in place, to mitigate the impact that sanctions might have on households where there are children, for example, or those considered to be vulnerable?

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