Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Social transfers have provided a hugely important buffer in reducing poverty. Expenditure on this scheme is estimated at €607 million in 2015 with almost 70,000 recipients. The problem is that despite a major investment in the past in respect of lone parents and their children, lone parents remain particularly at risk of poverty.

The first phase of the one-parent family payment scheme age change reforms will take place this July, when the maximum age limit of the youngest child at which a one-parent family payment recipient's payment ceases will be seven years of age. Approximately 29,400 lone parents will transition from the scheme at that date. Then, if the child is between the age of seven and 14 years, lone parents will transfer to a jobseeker's transitional payment. They will get exactly the same amount of money, but all our services in education, training, work experience and community participation will become available if the lone parents want to take them up. We will be talking to them to encourage them, where appropriate, to take it up.

That is why lone parents are being provided, when their youngest child is seven years of age, with intensive support from the Department. They will be supported to produce a personal development plan through one-to-one meetings with case officers. They will have enhanced access to education, training and employment supports. For example, if they take up employment, they will have the back-to-work family dividend and their employer will have the option of JobsPlus. The back-to-work family dividend will give them an additional €30 per week in addition to the family income supplement - a significant payment - if they get employment in excess of 19.5 hours.

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