Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The straw man proposal works well because we are not starting with a blank sheet and we are able to change it as we see fit or come forward with recommendations.

On the working family payment it can be paid up to the child becoming 22 if he or she is in full-time education. It is also available to lone parents who are in employment for at least 38 hours per fortnight. Lone parents who move to the working family payment may also apply for the back-to-work family dividend. To extend eligibility for the jobseeker's transitional payment would be contrary to the policy goal, which is to change the one-parent family payment. That was introduced in 2015. The changes we are doing are to tackle the long-term social welfare dependency and its associated poverty risks. This is done through a tapering of income supports and a more active engagement process offering enhanced education, training and employment supports. As I understand it, a single parent gets the working family payment up to the child reaching the age of 22 if the chid is in full-time education.