TBH I can see the logic behind that, Jos - raising children could be seen as a full-time job in itself, and if you'd been able to sign on as unemployed then arguably half the housewives in the country could do the same.

A bit unfortunate about the NT, perhaps that comes under the heading of "unintended consequences". The unwelcoming attitude was totally out of order, but sounds to me like that of some front-of-house jerk rather than being official policy. Some people would have written & complained - whether it would have done any good is, of course, debatable.