Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)

There is actually no minimum age. I have no knowledge of the relationship status. Since our system was introduced, it has always been very supportive. In the early 1990s, a person who received a lone-parent's allowance had to stay at home and do nothing, even if a parent or older sister was available to help with child care. The first move was to encourage very young lone parents to stay connected to education. As the Deputy probably knows, schools are really supportive of this all over the country. I am delighted to say families are enormously supportive. Education is the key to leaving the scheme and being financially independent. Ireland has been quite successful in that respect. Education is the key. If one leaves it early, it is often quite difficult to resume later. Getting back into education can involve a difficult process. There are not many very young lone parents and there is no lower age limit. I am thankful that the numbers are not as high in the very young age group as they used to be. I do not have the statistics to hand.

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