Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 25 September 2014
50. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the cost in 2015 of not proceeding with the reduction in income disregard for the one-parent family payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36385/14]
View answerThe one-parent family payment (OFP) scheme supports 71,886 recipients at an estimated cost of €863 million in 2014.
The Social Welfare and Pensions Act, 2012, provided for the reduction, on a phased basis, of the OFP scheme income disregard for new and existing recipients of the payment. In line with the legislation, the income disregard was reduced from €110 per week to €90 per week in January, 2014, and will be further reduced from €90 per week to €75 per week in January, 2015, and from €75 per week to €60 per week in January, 2016.
The estimated cost, in 2015, of maintaining the OFP scheme income disregard at its current level of €90 per week would be in the order of €8.3 million. There would also be additional costs in maintaining the income disregard at €90 per week in 2016 and in subsequent years.
Any changes to the OFP scheme income disregard, other than those that are already provided for in legislation, would be a matter for the Government to consider in a budgetary context.
