Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)

I will be happy to discuss the review group's proposals with the committee at the appropriate time. I found discussions with the committee to be useful in the past. Deputy Penrose is correct that this is a complex area. When removing poverty traps and attempting to build incentives, one has to be careful not to create other poverty traps. That has bedevilled the system for some time.

I am impressed with what is happening in other jurisdictions, where intervention is tailored to the individual circumstances of the person. In the UK, discussions and counselling on a holistic basis are being held for individual lone parents. The UK has found the more engagement involved, the more people helped back into education and employment. Ireland has a similar experience, with intervention in long-term unemployment cases where numbers were greatly reduced. I have asked the Department to see how a similar mechanism for lone parents can be introduced. I am aware there are approximately 80,000 lone parents and I hope the Department can give them individual attention and advice as to how they can best access employment and education through the myriad of schemes available.

Disregards are still available. For example, a lone parent can earn up to €146.50 per week without his or her benefits being affected. Earnings above this limit are assessed at 50% up to a maximum of €293. There are transitional arrangements in place where a lone parent who exceeds the earnings threshold may retain 50% of his or her payment for a further six months. The review group is specifically looking at removing barriers to employment. I hope the group will reach its conclusions within the timescale given as these are important issues.

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