Mr. Stuart Duffin:

I thank the committee for inviting us to provide opinion and evidence and with the opportunity to exert influence on behalf of the parents with whom we work. One Family calls on the Joint Committee on Education and Social Protection to petition the Tánaiste and the Department of Social Protection to get matters right for lone parents. The issues relating to lone parents have been known since 2012 and lack of planning and implementation in respect of such parents is of major concern. It is quite astonishing that research relating to activation among lone parents - which will become available in June - is only being commissioned now, particularly when 39,000 lone parents are due to be activated on 2 July. The decision to restrict eligibility for the one-parent family payment for those parenting alone whose youngest child is aged seven or under was announced in budget 2012. On 2 July next, most of these 39,000 lone parents will be transferred to the jobseeker's transitional allowance payment. The major concern for us in this regard relates to the lack of planning, support and information provided and responsibility taken by the Department of Social Protection in terms of these action.

The Department must take responsibility for the impact of its policies. It must also put in place the necessary services and provide the information that is available from other Departments. Activating lone parents is an issue which does not just relate to the Department of Social Protection; it is one which requires a whole-of-government approach. In that context, the Departments of Education and Skills, Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and Children and Youth Affairs must be involved. An integrated approach in respect of this matter has not really been planned. There is a need to develop a customer charter whereby parents will be given clear, sensible and correct information. I will not go into detail on the anecdotal evidence in our possession in respect of this matter. However, we have received a number of inquiries from parents to our askonefamily national helpline regarding incorrect information, etc. Suffice it to say that such information is confusing the whole issue.

I will now discuss some of the headline issues relating to lone parents. At present, 63% of lone parents are experiencing deprivation. By anybody's standards, this is obviously a key issue which we must address. Regardless of the issues relating to the payment and the question of supports, the level of deprivation must be tackled now. We are beginning to see evidence that work is not a route out of poverty but that for some people it is a way into persistent and consistent poverty. This is going to be a major issue going forward, particularly for those families that will be moving on the jobseeker's transitional payment. The number of people in receipt of the one-parent family payment who are involved in community employment has dropped from 33% to 9%. Community employment is a good activation measure because people only need to work for 19.5 hours per week and it facilitates parents who have caring responsibilities for children. However, these individuals are financially restricted as a result of the fact that child care is expensive.

Another headline issue relates to lone parents entering third level education. As a result of the transition, these individuals may transfer to the back to education allowance but this has not been fully confirmed. What is going to happen after the transition on 2 July? What will happen on 3 July and during the remainder of the summer? Lone parents are actually considering not returning to third level to complete their fourth year of study because they simply cannot afford it. That runs contrary to the Government's policy of getting people to the highest level of education possible.

Another matter that arises is the fact that people are unable to take up training and upskilling options because of issues relating to time and cost. Why do classes relating to training and upskilling start at 9 a.m. rather than 10 a.m.? There are simple things which could be done in order to facilitate people in pursuing the options available to them.

Parents are also giving up part-time work on foot of the move to the jobseeker's transition payment and issues relating to family income supplement. The latter is a threshold payment and if one earns €1 above that threshold, one does not receive it. There is an issue with regard to how we can use family income supplement to better support parents who are working. Perhaps a sliding-scale mechanism or some other more creative approach could be used in this regard. The current situation is having an impact on many lone parents who are being obliged to make rational decisions with regard to whether they should be in work.

Members are aware of the issues relating to child care. Affordable, accessible and quality child care is needed in order to facilitate those who are already in or those who wish to enter employment. Child care is an economic development issue. It is also an economic policy issue and we should be examining it in the context of facilitating not only lone parents but also all parents who wish to work. Child care schemes are clumsy and complex. In addition, they are not understandable and coverage is poor. A major issue arises in terms of considering how we can create a child care strategy - and provide child care funding - which actually facilitates people who wish to work or pursue educational opportunities.

There are a number of urgent actions which the Government and the Department of Social Protection should take. The overarching aim must be to ensure that work pays. We also need to ensure that parents are treated with respect and dignity by the Department of Social Protection. In addition, we must use a variety of ways to ensure that parents will not be compromised financially, emotionally or socially in the context of the move to the jobseeker's transition payment. A key issue relates to the need to examine the position with regard to free part-time education options for those who are parenting alone. This is cheap activation - there are courses and programmes available - and it is a better way to ensure that parents become educated.