Sheila Terry (Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister for his response and share his regret that he was not able to act more quickly on many of the good recommendations included in the lone parents proposals document published in February 2006. I understand what the Minister has said and realise that much work must be done across a number of Departments to ensure we get this right. We are dealing with a critical area and I compliment the Minister on the action he has taken in trying to help lone parent families in poverty and on accepting that the best way to remove people from poverty is through education and retraining.

The crux of the issue lies in deciding how to ensure we educate and retrain people to a standard that will make working worthwhile. There is no point pushing people out to work if the income they receive is not sufficient to lift them from poverty. Too often we hear adults saying that working is not worthwhile by the time transport to and from work, the cost of child care and suitable work clothing are taken into account. There are many costs associated with going out to work and we must ensure the level of education and retraining people receive is of a high standard. This may take a number of years.

The majority of the people in question may not have a leaving certificate and that is where we need to start on this issue. The process could take years of re-education through school and proper training to ensure work is made worthwhile. This will have a knock-on effect on the children of people being re-educated.

We must be careful about forcing people out to work, even when their children are as young as eight years of age. The type of work people receive is important and, as I mentioned yesterday, we must examine the community employment, CE, model and how it has worked well for many people. Some of this work does not qualify participants for much at the end of three years but it tends to be local work with flexible hours and nearby child care facilities, which cuts down on transport costs. Finding child care before and after school and during holiday periods can create huge difficulties for people going back to work.

There are many aspects to this issue that require time and examination and I understand that this is why the legislation has been slow to come before us. We must not force people back into the workplace if they are not ready. It is up to us to put the facilities and mechanisms in place to ensure people can achieve a certain standard of education and training. This will enable people to obtain a high standard of job that will provide a decent income.