Mr. Niall Egan:

Those figures were accurate at the time, but there have been a couple of changes since. In budget 2016, there was an increase in the FIS thresholds, child benefit and the national minimum wage. I believe that SPARK's figures were based on the national minimum wage. All these increases are helping to reduce the loss somewhat, although there will still be a loss. Thankfully, the economy is recovering. It is possible that the lone parent accessed more employment or received a pay rise. There has been a significant loss for that cohort if lone parents were on FIS before they made the transition, but it may not be to the same extent as SPARK's figures show.

The 3,000 people to whom the Deputy referred are new FIS recipients, not any of those who exited last July. That figure does not relate to anyone who has moved off FIS. This is a direct result of the Department's engagement with lone parents since February 2015 advising them that the best option for them is FIS. According to our feedback from local offices, many lone parents were not familiar with FIS. At 3,000 of the 25,000 recipients, the new cohort accounts for 12% or 13%. We want it to be more, but it is an encouraging sign.

There was a question on the activation of lone parents. As my colleague mentioned, the process started this year with the JST. We have a new activation case management system that enhances visibility of that payment's cohort from an activation perspective. These figures have been provided to the committee. Approximately 4,500 people have been or are being engaged with and 1,400 have definitely had an engagement with a case officer, of whom just over half have gone into education or training. This is a positive outcome.

I should have stated at the start that one of the Department's problems with the lone parent population is that it is a very diverse one. It includes people who are incredibly well educated but might be missing some experience or for whom child care is an issue. At the other end, we have many who are distant. They might have left school early or have numeracy and literacy difficulties. Key for the Department is being able to provide an individualised approach to each parent based on his or her specific need. The engagement with case officers is designed to identify the best plan for each individual.