John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I do not wish to reiterate what Deputy Willie O’Dea said or go over the same ground, but the Minister of State has indicated that people who are working reduced hours over two or three days have other options. We all know that. We are concerned about the people who are working a small number of hours every day who do not qualify for jobseeker's allowance or do not have the other options to which the Minister of State referred. We are not prescriptive about the outcome. We are looking for the research and analysis because we are meeting individuals who are working part time, who are working three or four hours a day, four or five days a week. They work less than 19 hours a week and seem to be caught in a trap, which is why we are looking for a report on the specific issue to advise us. We have the anecdotal evidence and met the people concerned in our constituency offices. We are looking for the issue to be placed on a proper footing in order that we can make informed and advised decisions.

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