Claire Kerrane
Question:145. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full-year cost of increasing the one-parent family payment scheme age cut-off to 14 years of age. [36494/22]
View answerWednesday, 6 July 2022
Questions (145)
Written answers
The One-Parent Family Payment is a means tested payment to support lone parents whose youngest child is aged under 7. The Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment (JST) payment is also a means tested payment but it is available to support lone parents where their youngest child is aged over 7 but under age 14. Where their youngest child is aged 14 or over, lone parents may qualify for Jobseeker’s Allowance.
The Working Family Payment is also available to recipients of One-Parent Family Payment who are working for at least 38 hours per fortnight and who satisfy the qualifying conditions. Lone parents who move off One-Parent Family Payment or Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment and into employment may also apply for the Back to Work Family Dividend.
The full year cost of paying One-Parent Family Payment until the youngest child reaches age14 would be very difficult to estimate accurately. While people whose youngest child is aged 7 to 13 may already be in receipt of Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment, others will be in receipt of other payments such as Working Family Payment or Back to Work Family Dividend, while still others might not be in receipt of any social welfare payment. The numbers in these groups who would qualify for One-Parent Family Payment were it extended are not known.
In addition, extending the scheme in this way would also increase the incidence of dual payments of One-Parent Family Payment and the Working Family Payment (WFP) but it is not possible to predict the extent to which this would occur without detailed knowledge of individuals’ working patterns and how people's behaviour might change.
Therefore, I am advised that the Department is not in a position to provide the costing requested.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.