M. J. Nolan
Ceist:74 Mr. Nolan asked the Minister for Social Welfare his response to the recent Combat Poverty Agency report on lone mothers in Ireland and the recommendations set out in the report. [18569/96]
Written Answers. - Combat Poverty Agency Report.
I welcome the recent report Lone Mothers in Ireland as being an important piece of research, which makes a significant contribution to our understanding of lone motherhood in Ireland. Because of its significance I laid the report before the Houses of the Oireachtas when it was published. I also sent a copy of the report to the secretary of the Select Committee on Social Affairs for information and consideration.
The policy in relation to lone parents and their children is two-fold: first, to provide basic income maintenance to help one-parent families, and second, to help lone parents break out of poverty and dependence on social welfare payments by facilitating their taking up employment, where they wish to. I am pleased that the report welcomes the positive steps that have been taken by the Government in this regard over the last number of years, such as the significant increases in child benefit, most of which goes to lower income households, and the shift towards facilitating labour market participation by lone parents through increased income disregards in the means test for entitlement to lone parent's allowance.
This facilitation is set to continue with the introduction from January next of the one-parent family payment which will represent another major step in making employment a more realistic option for lone parents. Under this payment, a lone parent will be able to earn up to £6,000 a year while still retaining entitlement to the maximum rate of payment. I am confident that, over time, this will prove very successful in helping lone parents make the transition to employment.
The findings of this Combat Poverty Agency report, with the future report of the Commission on the Family which is examining the needs and priorities of families, and the national anti-poverty strategy which is addressing key themes such as educational disadvantage, unemployment, and income adequacy, will assist the Government in formulating ongoing policies to tackle poverty and social deprivation among all families, which is one of my major priorities.