Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I will try to be brief. I thank Senator Cullinane for his contribution. Senator Cullinane referred to the Central Statistics Office figures and the number of people who are underemployed or working part-time. I welcome the CSO figures indicating the number of part-time workers moving to full-time work.

The whole thrust of the amendment was to remove welfare dependency and the poverty trap. It is important to highlight that as a result of this, no lone parent with a youngest child aged under 14 years is required to take up employment to receive income support from the Department. The Tánaiste made that change. Moreover, the back-to-work family dividend has been most successful. A substantial number of the people who have taken up the back-to-work family dividend are lone parents. They have been able to increase their hours and gain from that. Let us consider the statistics. This will be seen in future as a progressive move to assist lone parents back to the workforce and proper employment. The early indications from the back-to-work family dividend and the Central Statistics Office figures on people moving into full-time employment have been heartening.