Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 23 Feb 1995

Vol. 449 No. 6

Written Answers. - Social Welfare Statistics.

Noel Ahern

Ceist:

65 Mr. N. Ahern asked the Minister for Social Welfare the numbers claiming lone parent's allowance; the number of these who previously were in marriages or common law relationships; the number of recipients classified by the number of child dependants; the numbers in receipt of reduced payment due to receiving maintenance from husbands or partner; the number of cases examined by his Department for recovery of payments against the husband or partners; the number repaying his Department; and if he will give a breakdown of the amounts currently being received. [4202/95]

Minister for Social Welfare (Proinsias De Rossa)

The information sought, to the extent that it is available, is as follows:

Statistics at end January 1995

Number of lone parent allowances	41,185
Number previously married	10,851

No information is available on the number of lone parents who were previously in common-law relationships.

Number of Lone Parent's Allowance recipients with:

1 child	26,450
2 children	8,690
3 children	3,572
4 children	1,465
5 children	610
6 or more children	398
Total Lone Parents	41,185
Total number of children	66,046
Number in receipt of reduced rate Lone Parent Allowance	1,464
Of these, the number in receipt of reduced rate due to maintenance payments	250
Numbers examined for recovery against spouses-partners in period 1991 (when these provisions were brought into effect) to end 1994	13,729
of which:
spouse on social welfare payment and unable to pay	6,567
spouse not traceable	3,860
spouse employed (where there was some possible ability to pay)	3,302
Total number of formal payment demands issued to Liable Relatives	455
of which, the number of cases who have contributed to date	183
Aggregate yield to date from “Liability to Maintain Family” provisions
(a) contributions from Liable Relatives and transferred court orders	£400,744
(b) savings on scheme expenditure through withdrawal/ cessation of claims	£440,481
Total	£841,225

Note: The information on recoveries relates to lone parent's (separated) allowance recipients and to those receiving deserted wife's allowance and deserted wife's benefit. Records are not maintained in such a way as to enable the recoveries in respect of lone parent's allowance cases to be identified specifically.