Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 February 2015
218. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the number of maintenance recovery cases which are outstanding; the number of children involved; the corresponding figures for those making such repayments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8265/15]
View answerAll liable relatives associated with every new One Parent Family (OFP) claim must be examined in accordance with the relevant legislation. The Department’s Maintenance Recovery Unit cannot pursue liable relatives who are living outside the Republic of Ireland, or those who cannot be traced based on the information provided by the parent claiming OFP. In certain cases, the Unit are advised that some birth parents do not know the other birth parent.
In 2014, the Unit examined 8,063 liable relatives. Of the liable relatives examined, 967 were either living outside the Republic of Ireland or could not be traced and 558 liable relatives were classified as unknown in 2014.
Overall, 2,586 Determination Orders issued to liable relatives who were assessed with a liability and had an apparent ability to pay maintenance. Liable relatives are advised that they can meet their maintenance liability by paying either the department directly or the OFP recipient directly.
Following the issue of the Determination Orders, 1,063 liable relatives commenced making payments/additional payments to the lone parents averaging €48.84 per week. A further 69 liable relatives started paying the Department directly and the average weekly payment was €60.64 per week. A total of 260 liable relatives made repayments directly to the Department in 2014.
There were 1,948 liable relatives with outstanding assessments at the end of 2014 and these have now been assessed.
