Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 6 October 2004
186 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if his attention has been drawn to a report from OPEN, in relation to one parent families; his views on the criticisms contained therein; if he will increase the one parent family payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23313/04]
View answerThe one parent family payment, introduced in 1997, was designed to help in overcoming the particular obstacles lone parents may face in taking up employment or training opportunities, and to encourage them to return to employment, instead of remaining dependent on social welfare payments.
Ireland has among the highest percentage of lone parent families within the EU at over 11% of households. Many lone parents care full time or part time for children.
However, a high proportion of lone parents and their children in Ireland, some 42.9% in 2001, had a level of income which put them in the category of "at risk of poverty". This can be mainly explained by the relatively low participation in employment among lone parents, especially relative to the position in this regard among many other EU member states. Lone parents are not only at risk of poverty while out of the workforce when caring for their children, but these prolonged absences can also have an adverse effect on their future earning capacity, which can lead to longer term social exclusion.
It is, therefore, necessary to build on what the present one parent family payment scheme provides, with a view to enabling lone parents achieve a position where they can more effectively reconcile their priority commitment to care for their children and the need for greater employment participation, the main route to an improved standard of living for them and their children, both in the short term and long term.
Under my Department's statement of strategy there is a commitment to review the operation of income support arrangements for lone parents.
This review is taking account of recent reports and emerging analysis in this area, such as OPEN's "One Size Fits All?"' report and my own Department's review of the one parent family payment. Account will also be taken of volume II of the OECD study, entitled "Babies and Bosses, Reconciling Work and Family Life", published at the end of 2003 which contains an analysis, in a comparative context, of the situation in Ireland, especially with regard to lone parents, and of the proceedings of the Irish EU Presidency Conference in May last on "Families, Change and European Social Policy."
I am happy to confirm that work on this initiative has already commenced with preliminary discussions with lone parent NGOs, including OPEN, having already taken place.
The theme of parenting alone will be one of the issues addressed in the proposed strategy on supports for families currently in preparation. An interdepartmental committee has been established and is already analysing current cross-departmental policies for families, with a view to coming up with recommendations for future policy development.
Submissions on the proposed family strategy have also been received from a number of NGOs, including those representing one parent families, and these will be taken into account in the deliberations of the committee. The issue of increases in the one parent family payment is one for determination in a budgetary context.
