Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 26 September 2018
236. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the work her Department is undertaking alongside the Department of Justice and Equality on establishing a maintenance payment programme to ensure that maintenance is paid to one-parent families; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39049/18]
View answerMy Department is currently reviewing the maintenance and liable relative procedures, insofar as they relate to the payment schemes operated by this Department. From a broader perspective, the wider issues relating to maintenance are a matter for my colleague the Minister for Justice and Equality, who has responsibility for the Family Law Acts, which govern maintenance requirements.
The Family Law Acts place a legal obligation on parents to maintain their children. In cases where the family unit has broken down these obligations continue to apply. Relevant maintenance payments can be arranged either directly or through the Department of Justice and Equality supports like the Family Mediation Service, the Legal Aid Board and the Courts.
My Department's internal review is now nearing completion, and my officials will shortly be liaising with the Department of Justice and Equality with a view to jointly considering the next steps in relation to family maintenance arrangements.
