Until 1990 the needs of lone parents were provided for under the social welfare code through a variety of schemes, including the unmarried mother's allowance, deserted wife's allowance and deserted wife's benefit. The operation of these schemes proved problematic for many lone parents and, indeed, some could not qualify because of the strict qualifying conditions, particularly in relation to desertion, which applied to the schemes. Some also found the investigations necessary to establish entitlement to deserted wife's allowance-benefit to be very intrusive and upsetting.
In 1990 a process of rationalising provision for lone parents commenced with the introduction of the lone parent's allowance. This scheme intro duced some new features in provision for lone parents in that it was available to both fathers and mothers and removed the need for separated spouses with children to prove desertion.
However, the deserted wife's allowance and benefit remained in place and the Department was criticised for not having similar payments available to men. These payments had been introduced at a time when the accepted norms in society envisaged a male breadwinner and dependent wife and children. These roles have become eroded down the years, with women becoming increasingly independent through their growing involvement in the workforce. Changes in family law have also undermined the basis of these schemes. In the circumstances, it was felt that desertion was no longer a contingency for which people could reasonably expect to be insured.
The report of the Commission on Social Welfare, 1986, questioned the validity of desertion being regarded as an insurable contingency. In the circumstances, it was decided as part of the Social Welfare Bill, 1996, to further streamline payments to lone parents and this resulted in the introduction of the one parent family payment in 1997. The scheme requires that a lone parent has the main care and charge of at least one qualified child. It focuses on the presence of children in a household and makes the route to lone parenthood irrelevant. The scheme is non-discriminatory in that it is available to both men and women and non-judgmental in that it does not depend on the reasons for lone parenthood. In particular, the requirement on women to prove desertion and the intrusive questioning which that entailed were dispensed with.
The scheme also features a very strong employment-led approach which seeks to encourage lone parents to consider employment as a viable alternative to long-term welfare dependency. The main element of this policy is the earnings disregard which allows a lone parent earn £115.38 per week without payment being affected, with earnings from that up to £230.76 assessed at 50 per cent. There are also transitional arrangements in place for when a lone parent exceeds the upper income limit.
The operation of the scheme is currently being reviewed by the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs as part of its expenditure review programme. The review is, among other things, intended to see if the scheme is meeting its objectives in the most efficient and effective manner. It is expected that work on the review will be completed early next year.
When the one parent family payment was introduced no further applications were accepted for deserted wife's benefit and allowance. However, arrangements were put in place to ensure the position for those who were receiving payment under these schemes at the time was maintained. At the end of 1998 there were 15,642 people still receiving payment under these schemes and they will retain their entitlement as long as they continue to satisfy the conditions attaching to the schemes.
There are certainly differences between the one parent family payment and the old deserted schemes. However, the introduction of the one parent family payment has entailed many advantages for lone parents, including equality of treatment for all lone parents with children, less intrusive investigations to establish entitlement and a liberal approach to earnings, which is designed to encourage them to take up employment so that they may avoid long-term welfare dependency. At the same time the position of those on deserted schemes who would not have gained under the one parent family payment was safeguarded.
