Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 March 2010
594 Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs her views on the impact of her proposal to remove the lone parent payment from parents and guardians of children over 13 years on the number of children living in poverty; and the size of the likely increase in the number of children in poverty which in 2008 figures stood at 17.4%. [12753/10]
Amharc ar fhreagraThere are currently just under 90,000 lone parents in receipt of the One-Parent Family Payment (OFP) at an estimated cost in 2009 of €1,113 million. When other related supports and entitlements are taken into account, including Child Benefit and, where appropriate, the Rent Supplement and the Family Income Supplement, total expenditure in this area exceeds €2 billion.
Despite this significant State spending on one-parent families as well as improvements made to the One Parent Family Payment over the years, the results have been poor in terms of tackling poverty and social exclusion and of encouraging economic independence. A large proportion of lone parents and their children continue to experience poverty.
The Government believes that the current arrangements, whereby a lone parent can receive the One-Parent Family Payment until their child is 18 — or 22 if in full-time education — without any requirement for them to engage in employment, education or training, are not in the best interests of the recipient, their children or society.
In general, the best route out of poverty is through paid employment. It is recognised that work, and especially full-time work, may not be an option for parents of young children. However, it is believed that supporting parents to participate in the labour market, once their children have reached an appropriate age, will improve both their own economic situation and the social well-being of themselves and their families.
My Department has undertaken a comprehensive review of the One-Parent Family Payment and developed proposals that are designed to: prevent long-term dependence on welfare and facilitate financial independence; recognise parental choice with regard to care of young children but with the expectation that parents will not remain outside of the labour force indefinitely, and include an expectation of participation in education, training and employment, with supports provided in this regard.
To meet these social policy objectives, the Government is considering various options for limiting the length of time for which the One-Parent Family Payment can be paid (including the age of the youngest child). Any such changes would be phased in over a number of years for existing recipients to enable lone parents to access education and training and to prepare them for their return to the labour market.
The changes will also bring Ireland's support for lone parents more into line with international provisions, where there is a general movement away from long-term and passive income support. The EU countries achieving the best outcomes in terms of tackling child poverty are those that are combining strategies aimed at facilitating access to employment and enabling services (e.g. child care) with income support.
The Government is conscious that many lone parents will need access to education, training and activation measures in order to acquire the skills they will need to gain employment. My Department has been working closely with other agencies to ensure that the broader needs of lone parent families are met and that the changes to the One-Parent Family Payment that are currently being finalised will be progressed in that context.
