Willie Penrose (Westmeath, Labour)

I thank the Minister for his reply. He used to issue a statement on lone parents every month but, in fairness to him, he has followed through on it and we had the Government's discussion paper, Proposals for Supporting Lone Parents, and the Farmleigh discussions. It is still of concern to many people and to lone parents in particular. The Minister's inspectors are still very vigilant in checking to see who is cohabiting and there seems to be a focus on this issue. The quicker the cohabitation rule is established, the better, so that the neutral family situation as advocated by the Minister can be adopted. The success of this scheme depends on a number of factors, one of which is that there should be a proper forum in which lone parents can meet all the NGOs and groups so that the various issues can be dealt with. Many poverty traps have been created and the advent of a particular policy initiative in one area may well lead to another unanticipated poverty trap being set up in another area. It is time to set up a consultative forum for all the relevant interests. The Farmleigh meeting was a response to the discussion document but interest groups will wish to make submissions.

It is important the integration process is firmly embedded otherwise it will fall flat on its face. It will be necessary for FÁS, the Office of the Minister for Children, the Department of Education and Science and the Minister's Department to work in a properly joined-up way and not just in a haphazard, ad hoc manner, using fire brigade-type action. These bodies must work in a unified and integrated way to ensure that all the steps are taken for child care. We all accept that the route out of poverty is by means of work but it must be quality work. Training and upskilling must be made available by FÁS within family-friendly hours, particularly for lone parents who might be under stress and worried about how to avail of the scheme. There is a significant amount of work to be done in this area. When will the programme be introduced on a pilot basis in urban and rural areas? How will the participants be selected? The quicker this problem is dealt with, the better. The Minister deserves some credit for progressing the discussion to date.

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