Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 108, 122, 151, 175, 196, 201 and 203 together.

The package of reforms and initiatives aimed at supporting lone parents is based on the Government discussion paper Proposals for Supporting Lone Parents, which I launched in March this year. The discussion paper sought to address the increased risk of social exclusion and poverty faced by lone parents and parents on low income. It put forward proposals for the expanded availability of education and training opportunities for lone parents, the extension of the national employment action plan to focus on lone parents, focused provision of child care, an improved information service for lone parents and the introduction of a new social assistance payment for low income families with young children.

Long-term welfare dependency in the case of a person of working age is not in the best interests of parents, their children or society in general. Any new social assistance payment must have the long-term aim of assisting lone parents and parents on low incomes to achieve financial independence through supporting them to enter employment, as it is employment that offers one of the most important routes out of poverty.

While conditions are being suggested for receipt of payment, it is proposed that supports will be offered in a structured and systematic manner to the persons concerned. It is only in this context that continuing payment would be made conditional on engagement with the support services.

The discussion paper suggests that activation measures would commence when the child reaches the age of five. Concerns have been expressed in submissions and at meetings that this could exclude lone parents from accessing supports earlier should they so wish. That matter is now being further examined.

Activation, as referred to in the proposal, is positive in nature. It encompasses interview-advice meetings and access to education and training, thus providing people with the skills to enable them to achieve financial independence and a better life for themselves and their children. Activation supports will also be available to many older women at risk of poverty who are currently categorised as qualified adult dependants of husbands in receipt of social welfare income.

I fully realise that a new form of payment cannot be introduced without co-ordinated supports and services being put in place by other Departments and agencies. That is why the Government has instructed the senior officials group to draw up an implementation plan to progress the non-income recommendations in tandem with the development of the legislation required by my Department to introduce the new payment scheme.

Work on the development of this implementation plan is under way. Issues including access to child care support, education, training and activation measures and options for further research, all of which impact on the large number of recipients of the one parent family payment who are not working, will be considered.

As soon as I am convinced that we have reached conclusions that are equitable, with a fully workable implementation strategy, it is my intention to bring forward proposals to the Dáil as soon as possible. In the meantime, my officials continue to be in contact with the lone parents' representative groups for whose ongoing support I am grateful and whose views continue to feed into the development of the proposals. I thank all those agencies concerned.

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