asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will define the original purpose for which the unmarried mother's allowance was introduced; whether the original criteria are still valid and in effect being observed; if he has any plans to change the criteria or scope of unmarried mother's allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Unmarried Mother's Allowance.
44.
The Commission on the Status of Women in their report published in 1972 recommended that an unmarried mother who keeps her child should be entitled to a social welfare allowance at the same rate and on the same conditions as then applied to deserted wives under the deserted wife's allowance scheme. This recommendation was given effect in the Social Welfare Act, 1973, in which provision was made for the introduction of the scheme from July of that year.
The scheme provides financial support to unmarried mothers with children under age 18 or, if in full time education, 21. Entitlement is subject to a means test and to the unmarried mother remaining a lone parent. The allowance enables mothers, who would not otherwise be able to do so, to look after their children on a full time basis. The reasons underlying the introduction of the scheme are still valid today.
There are currently some 14,300 mothers in receipt of this allowance in respect of some 18,200 children. While the vast majority of recipients of unmarried mother's allowance are genuine, I am anxious to ensure that any abuse of this scheme is dealt with. A review section has been set up in my Department with the aim of identifying and eliminating fraud within this and other social assistance allowance schemes.
There are no plans at present to change the criteria or scope of the scheme.
In relation to claims for multiple children, can I ask the Minister what periodic checks are carried out by the Department into multiple claims?
For more than one child?
Yes.
The review group are looking at all aspects of the claims, including claims for more than one child. Over 80 per cent of the unmarried mothers who receive the allowance have one child, an additional 15 per cent have two children and only 5 per cent have three or more children. In looking at the figures it is important to bear in mind that a certain proportion of the unmarried mothers with a high number of child dependants are what are called "common law wives" who qualified for unmarried mother's allowance when their relationships broke up. There would also be cases of foreign divorces and the Kenny decision, which was taken on 15 December 1986, insisted that those people would be entitled to be covered. About half of those who have more than two children are estimated to be either divorced or whose common law marriages have broken up.
Can the Minister give an indication to the House of the number of claimants who stopped claiming in any one year? Is there any drop out rate compared with the claim rate?
How many unmarried fathers are there?
How much do they get paid?
I have yet to meet one.
The number who ceased claiming in 1986 was 1,539; in 1987, 1,687 and up to mid-June 1988, 1,255. With regard to the reasons for disclaiming, of the 1,255 who ceased claiming to date this year approximately 800 were disqualified from claiming because they had married, started work or whatever and approximately 455 left voluntarily. Therefore, a certain number will leave voluntarily each year.
That is the point I tried to elicit in my original question. It is now clear that the rate of drop out this year is about 50 per cent higher than it was last year. That is why I asked if different criteria are being applied. It is clear that something different is happening in relation to the claiming of unmarried mother's allowance.
Further elicitation will have to wait.
I want to say very briefly that the fact that a review was done earlier in the year does not necessarily mean that the number will increase at the same rate later in the year. One would have to be careful with the figures in that respect. The factual situation is that more people have been identified as already being married.