Written Answers. - Lone Parent Allowances.
Noel Ahern
Ceist:
318
Mr. N. Ahern
asked the
Minister for Social Welfare
if he will give details of the numbers claiming lone parent's allowance for each of the last five years; the numbers of successful new claims in each of the last five years broken down by number of child dependants; the number of claims for additional child dependants from existing lone parent recipients in each of the last five years; if he will make a statement on this last category outlining whether these applications are processed on the basis of a different criteria; if the applicants should be treated as living in a common law relationship; if details of the father/spouse must be given; if this information is acted on and followed up for recovery against the father; and, if so, the success of this action.
[13142/95]
The statistical data available on lone parent allowances are drawn from the computerised records maintained for payment purposes. These records show the number of allowances in payment and the family sizes at particular times. I understand that the Deputy is primarily interested in the unmarried category of lone parent for whom the available statistics are appended to the reply. Similar statistics are also available for other categories of lone parents.
It is reasonable to assume that the unmarried category of lone parent to whom the appended statistics apply qualifies initially for payment as a one child family. The exception to this would be where claims arise following breakdown of non-marital arrangements. Records are not maintained in such a way as to identify the extent to which this factor or other relationships contribute to family size or to enable other statistical data sought by the Deputy to be supplied.
As regards payments for additional children, the Social Welfare legislation provides for the payment of a child dependant allowance in respect of each qualified dependent child. The identity of the father is not a requirement for this purpose. In processing applications for child dependant allowances in the cases referred to by the Deputy the Department has regard to the additional needs on the birth of an additional child and in the normal course arranges for payment of the additional allowance as quickly as possible. However, enquiries are initiated immediately thereafter to establish if the circumstances surrounding the birth constitute a statutory disqualification for Lone Parent's Allowance. If it is established that the lone parent and another person are cohabiting as man and wife or that adequate maintenance is being paid, the Lone Parent Allowance is stopped or adjusted as the circumstances dictate.
The "Liability to Maintain Family" provisions in Part IX of the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act 1993 stipulates that where a lone parent family is dependent on a Social Welfare payment, the person who is liable to maintain that family must contribute to the Department towards the cost of the family's income support.
Liable relatives pay either by way of regular direct contribution to the Department or through family law court orders which are transferred to the Department. Since the scheme commenced a total of almost £600,000 has been collected. In addition to these contribution payments, the operation of the maintenance recovery provisions also yielded savings on scheme expenditure of a further £440,000 since commencement. Altogether, a total of over £1 million has been yielded directly and indirectly since the commencement of the Liability to Maintain Family provisions at the end of 1990.
To date the application of these provisions has been concentrated on married/separated cases. Consideration is being given now as to the most practicable way to implement the system in non-marital situations. A number of issues are involved in this, including concerns expressed by voluntary organisations dealing with unmarried parents about the impact of the system on existing informal child maintenance arrangements where they exist. The Department is reviewing the operation of the Liability to Maintain Family provisions generally, including their applicability to unmarried parents, in the context of the proposed introduction of a unified lone parent support scheme.
Number of Lone Parent's (Unmarried) Allowance by Number of Child Dependants — (end July figures).
|
With
|
1990
|
1991
|
1992
|
1993
|
1994
|
1995
|
|
1 child
|
14,376
|
15,998
|
17,601
|
19,740
|
21,540
|
24,233
|
|
2 children
|
2,676
|
3,248
|
3,764
|
4,307
|
4,914
|
5,755
|
|
3 children
|
674
|
877
|
1,034
|
1,215
|
1,392
|
1,637
|
|
4 children
|
235
|
281
|
303
|
387
|
430
|
478
|
|
5 children
|
65
|
86
|
105
|
122
|
140
|
157
|
|
6 children
|
27
|
34
|
33
|
43
|
53
|
63
|
|
7+ children
|
10
|
10
|
15
|
14
|
20
|
24
|
|
Total Recipients
|
18,063
|
20,534
|
22,855
|
25,828
|
28,489
|
32,347
|
|
Total Dependant children
|
23,250
|
26,954
|
30,275
|
34,520
|
38,431
|
43,909
|
