Joe O'Toole (Independent)

I accept that the Minister of State has to go through his script. Does he agree that the effect of the current regulations is that people with low-paid jobs who want to go back to college will be looked after better if they go the dole for a year beforehand? What are we doing? People laugh at politicians when they find out we are creating problems of this nature. The Minister of State said that people who go back to education may be eligible for tax relief, but the person to whom I referred is outside the tax net, or barely inside it. The Minister of State's suggestion does not apply to this person in question because he has a low-paid job. I ask the Minister of State to send a letter to somebody about this matter, which needs to be addressed. He should tell the relevant authorities to be sensible about these regulations. I accept that they were originally intended to encourage people on social welfare to go back to college. There is nothing wrong with that aim because it makes sense. However, this assistance should also apply to people who are in lower-paid employment.