Vol. 505 No. 7
8 Ms O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the recent report published by the Combat Poverty Agency, Women and Poverty in Ireland; the steps, if any, he will take to address the problems affecting women identified in the report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14598/99]
I have received a copy of the report to which the Deputy refers and have noted its contents. While this report is based on analysis of 1994 data, it provides some valuable insight into the causes of, and trends in, poverty among women in Ireland during the early 1990s. The report was only released last Thursday and will be considered alongside analysis of more recent complementary data from the ESRI based on the 1997 Living in Ireland Survey.
The data shows that female-headed households are at greater risk of falling below the 50 per cent relative income line than are male/couple-headed households. It is important to note here that "female-headed" households comprised just 23 per cent of all households in 1994, mainly consisting of women living alone and lone parents, both being groups which this Government has already recognised as facing a higher risk of poverty than the population at large. Previously in an answer to a similar question I gave a figure of less than 10 per cent instead of 23 per cent. That was incorrect and I should like to correct the record in that regard. The reason the incorrect answer was given was because there was a misinterpretation of data by my officials in the Department. I am anxious to correct that figure of 10 per cent previously given; it is in fact 23 per cent.
It should be noted that, because the majority of adult men and women live in couple households, they face similar risks of being poor. The relatively high risk of poverty faced by female-headed households is not representative of the position of women in general although, overall, women do face a slightly higher risk of poverty than men.
This Government has committed itself to the realisation of true equality for women and to ensuring that women can realise their full potential in society. In addition, one of the key principles underlying the National Anti-Poverty Strategy (NAPS) is "the reduction of inequalities and, in particular, addressing the gender dimensions of poverty" and a number of initiatives are already in place which aim, inter alia, to ease the burden on predominantly female-headed households.
A working group to examine the tax and social welfare treatment of married, co-habiting and one-parent families was established in May 1997. Underlying the necessity of such a review was a need to ensure fairness in the way that the State supports families of all types, while at the same time providing assistance for families who are at particular risk of poverty. The group will report to Government shortly.
The introduction of poverty proofing across all Government Departments, which aims to assess significant policy proposals at design stage for their impact on the poor, is also a major step in this regard. Lone parents and single adult households are among the groups given particular attention in this process.
My Department also recognises that women, in both urban and rural areas, can experience particular problems arising from poverty and marginalisation and that women's groups and community groups have an important role in tackling these problems. Particular emphasis is placed in the various grant schemes operated by my Department on support for community-based initiatives targeted at disadvantaged women. Schemes of particular relevance in this regard are the community development programme, the family and community services resource centre programme, and the scheme of grants for locally-based community and family support groups.
In addition, I recently announced the introduction of a new pilot initiative – the Family Services Projects – to develop new models of service delivery based on the one-stop-shop concept aimed at enhancing the Department's services to families. The new projects will be piloted in Cork, Waterford and Finglas in Dublin and will cater for all families, providing information on marriage counselling, bereavement counselling, parenting including childcare, family mediation and other services available locally.
The basic conclusions of the Women and Poverty in Ireland report were that lone parent households increased from 17 per cent in 1987 to 32 per cent in 1994 and that the risk of poverty for female headed households rose from 4 per cent to 24 per cent. Does the Minister not agree that these are shocking conclusions, as one of the authors of the report said? The Minister has particular responsibility to alleviate this problem.
What difference, if any, occurred in the percentages for 1997? The authors of the report point out that the level of some social welfare payments is so low that it is a fundamental contributory factor to the poverty of these female headed households. Does the Minister agree that one initiative he could take is to drastically increase child benefit to £20 per week?
There have been dramatic changes since 1994. I cannot give the Deputy details for 1997 because the report was only released a couple of days ago and would have to be viewed in light of those figures. I launched a report yesterday by the ESRI in relation to that. It contains good figures in one sense but also indications that, as a society, we need to do more.
Obviously, the issue of women's equality and ensuring that female poverty does not increase but is reduced is one of the issues that will be addressed by the Government. In recent years we have brought forward a number of initiatives. Ultimately, however, the best way out of poverty is through employment. Since this Government came into office, 90,000 new jobs have been provided and 62,000 people have gone off the live register, many of them female. Female participation in society has increased dramatically.
Does the Minister agree that widows constitute another group of women affected by poverty? The solution he puts forward, that these women go out to work, is often not available to them. They are left in the terrible situation of having lost their spouse and having to look after a household, keep up mortgage repayments and so forth when they are simply unable to manage on the payments from the Department. Does the Minister not think they should be given special consideration and special rates of payment?
Over the past two budgets, widows over 66 years of age on the maximum rate of widow's pension have received substantial increases of £5 and £6 per week, increases which are way ahead of inflation and far more than what was given to them under previous Governments. Widows under 66 years of age received increases last year which were twice the rate of inflation. In addition, in the Government's first budget, dramatic changes were made to tax allowances for widows. They were given special treatment by the Minister for Finance, Deputy McCreevy.
This is an area where the Government acknowledges that more needs to be done and, over forthcoming budgets for the duration of this Government's term, it will be done.
