Vol. 546 No. 3
58 Mr. Spring asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the findings of the report commissioned by the Development Organisation Partnership, Tralee, County Kerry, which found that many lone parents were caught in a poverty trap; the steps he intends to take to deal with the issues identified in the report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31589/01]
I welcome the publication of the report to which the Deputy refers. It identifies the main issues affecting lone parents and reinforces the findings of other recent work in this area including my own Department's review of the one-parent family payment, OFP, published in September 2000, and the recently launched report on lone parents by the National Economic and Social Forum. The findings and recommendations of the report are very wide ranging and in many cases relate to the responsibilities of other departments and agencies.
Access to information services is an area highlighted in the report and I have initiated a programme for one-parent family payment recipients to ensure that they are aware of the employment, education and training available to them. This has taken the form of a mailshot issued to all recipients last year and the Department's employment support services are also becoming increasingly active in inviting lone parents for interviews and offering assistance to access employment, training and education initiatives.
I am also planning to localise the administration of the OFP scheme and a pilot project to that effect is under way in my Department's Tallaght office.
