Willie Penrose (Westmeath, Labour)

This is a complex and difficult area which will have to be teased out considerably. One parent families make up approximately 12% of households and tend to face higher risks of poverty than their two-parent counterparts. The EU survey on income and living conditions, released in January 2005, indicated that 33% of one parent families live in consistent poverty in comparison to 9% of the overall population while up to 42% are at risk of poverty compared to 23% of the overall population. One parent families have the highest levels of the eight deprivation factors.

Will the Minister agree the main issue for one parent families, particularly those with young children, is access to the labour market? This relates to the lack of availability of part-time or flexible employment and access to education, to assist one parent families. Is this not an ideal opportunity to have a major strategic input into the policy area to help people living in poverty? Deputy Stanton referred to the 2001 NESF report, and the one size fits all argument. Geoffrey Shannon's big legal tome on the issue must be remembered. As policy changes will engineer changes in this area, who will have an input in the review group? Will it be officials only? Will proposals be brought before the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Social and Family Affairs?

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