Mary Harney
Question:16 Miss Harney asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he is reviewing the theory and practice of existing guidelines for his Department so as to achieve equal treatment of women and men.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Equal Treatment Guidelines.
The question of reviewing guidelines aimed at achieving equal treatment between women and men in the social welfare area was one of the recommendations in the second report of the Commission on the Status of Women. The report also recommended that the situation should be monitored on an ongoing basis.
The context in which the Commission on the Status of Women considered this issue related to the questioning of female claimants for unemployment assistance or unemployment benefit about child minding arrangements when similar questions were not put to male claimants. The position is that, following the issue of comprehensive guidelines to all local offices of the Department in July 1986, all claimants with family and childcare responsibilities are treated equally. In determining whether claimants for unemployment payments are available for and genuinely seeking work, there is no discrimination between claimants, either directly or indirectly, on grounds of sex, family or marital status. The existing guidelines form an integral part of the Department's training programme for staff involved in deciding claims. In line with the recommendation of the Commission on the Status of Women, the anti-discrimination guidelines are kept under review and monitored on an ongoing basis at local office level.
The Minister's reply is all very well in theory and I accept that there is no discrimination at official level. However, will the Minister agree that lone parents, mainly women, face a major risk of falling into the poverty trap? Access to childcare facilities is a major problem for women who command low wages. How does the Minister propose to deal with the unofficial obstacles which are leading to a feminisation of the poverty problem?
This was one of the first issues I was interested in addressing on my appointment as Minister of State. The expert working group which I set up to examine the integration of our tax and social welfare systems, in its interim report, presented prior to the budget, dealt with poverty traps, specifically as they related to lone parents. I am sure the Deputy is aware that specific provisions were included in the budget to increase the disregards for lone parents by a significant level. In addition, the new community employment programme being implemented at present can be availed of by people in receipt of lone parent's allowance. This measure was specifically designed to be of benefit to lone parents.
I agree with the Deputy that lone parents are very much at risk of falling into the poverty trap. The recent ESRI publication on poverty and policy in Ireland also makes this point. This area is being specifically examined by the Department. In addition, a number of childcare initiatives are being undertaken by other Departments as part of the Programme for a Partnership Government. This area is being given priority. There will be a significant increase in the number of lone parents availing of part-time and other work as a consequence of the changes introduced in this year's budget. In addition, I hope that, under the new community employment programme being implemented, lone parents will avail of the opportunities now afforded them to participate.
Social welfare statistics for 1992 show there are in the region of 12,000 deserted wives and 35,000 lone parents here. While agreeing that certain developments are taking place, how can the Minister of State reconcile them with the recent departmental initiative as a result of which the incomes of some lone parents have been cut by £50 per week because of the Department's insistence on seizing maintenance moneys awarded to deserted wives by the courts? How can the Minister of State reconcile what she has said with the reality of life for deserted wives and their children who have experienced cuts of anything from £50, £60 and £70 per week because of the Department seizing maintenance payments under the 1992 regulations?
This matter was dealt with in detail by the Minister in a recent reply to the Deputy about the liable relatives regulations. As all organisations dealing with social welfare matters have acknowledged, these greatly advantage the majority of lone parents who, as a consequence——
Will the Minister of State come back to reality?
Like Deputy Allen, I deal with large numbers of lone parents. Those regulations give lone parents a guarantee of maintenance if they wish to avail of an income payment from the Department of Social Welfare. Some 11,000 lone parents are deserted wives. The number of people who will be placed at a disadvantage as a result of these regulations is very small — a figure of 50 out of a total of 11,000 was mentioned. The purpose of the regulations, which have been widely welcomed by organisations dealing with lone parents, was to give women in those circumstances a guaranteed income. Unfortunately, in many cases where maintenance arrangements are made between husbands and wives in the unfortunate circumstance of a marriage breakdown, as I am sure the Deputy will be aware, the husband subsequently defaults; he may do so on a substantial number of occasions. That regulation provides for a guaranteed income for the lone parent in those circumstances. This matter was dealt with in great detail by the Minister recently.
In principle the provision on maintenance is a good one. Nevertheless there are, as the Minister said, at least 50 women — I suspect there are many more — who have been disadvantaged by these regulations. Effectively, they suffered a loss of income, placing them again in a low income category. What steps will the Minister or Minister of State take to alleviate the sudden poverty into which these women have fallen resulting from the operation of these regulations?
All issues in relation to poverty and/or income traps are being examined by the expert working group on the integration of tax and social welfare and the issue of lone parents is of particular concern to them. The purpose of the regulations is to enable people receive a guaranteed maintenance payment. The alternative may be that people will have to apply for court orders against defaulting spouses. Under the new regulations they will have a guaranteed income from the Department of Social Welfare. The Department will monitor the regulations closely.
This is a very serious issue for many women. Indeed the 50 mentioned by the Minister of State must be located in my constituency; I suspect the figure would be much greater. Will the Minister introduce alleviation payments to overcome the awful hardship experienced by many deserted wives and their children? Is she aware that some women who were receiving their maintenance payments weekly were issued with a demand from the Minister that unless they signed over their maintenance payments their deserted wife's benefit would be reduced accordingly? Does the Minister realise that severe hardship is being caused to many such women? I am not trying to make a political point out of this but rather asking the Minister, for humane reasons, to initiate an alleviation payment for those women.
If the Deputy has a query on this subject, he should table a question. I have given approximate figures for a recent period. The Minister answered this question in detail recently. If problems arise they will be reviewed by my Department.
I have questions tabled about them.
We must move on to Question No. 17.