Vol. 428 No. 3
17 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Social Welfare his views on the allegations of discrimination against married women contained in paragraphs 317 and 318 of the Minority Report of the Second Commission on the Status of Women; and the proposals, if any, he has for changes in this area.
I welcome the publication of the report on the Second Commission on the Status of Women, which I see as an important development for the future of women in Irish society. The minority report, consisting as it does of proposals not contained in the majority report, serves as a very valuable complement. Both reports are being closely examined by my Department and an action list of measures to be taken in the area of social welfare will be drawn up.
The section of the minority report to which the Deputy refers argues that married couples are discriminated against in the social welfare code, in that the rate of payment for an unemployed married couple with two children is less than that payable to two lone parents with one child each. The reason for this provision is, of course, that provision for widows, widowers and all lone parents recognises the additional expense of bringing up a child or children without the support of the breadwinner/partner.
It is generally recognised that economies of scale are achieved where more than one adult lives in a household. This has been acknowledged in various independent studies including a study on the Irish social welfare system carried out by the ESRI. The treatment of dependent spouses in the social welfare system takes account of these economies of scale.
The question of increasing payments in respect of adult dependants would need to be examined in this light and also in the light of available resources. Furthermore, if efforts were made to reduce the gap between married dependants and single persons, measures would have to be taken to ensure that the support currently given to lone parents, widows and deserted wives was not eroded.
