Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Currently there are lone parents throughout the country calling into their local Intreo offices, which are provided by the Department of Social Protection, and looking at how they can significantly increase their income. In particular, if they move to 19.5 hours or more they will qualify for the family income supplement which, depending on the number of children they have, is an extremely attractive payment, for which we have very significantly increased the funding.

That is important.

I notice the Deputy did not deny that, notwithstanding the amount of money the State pays to help give lone parents an income, there is a problem with lone parents being at risk of poverty. Over an extended period of time, our social welfare system anticipated that many lone parents, having had a child or children in their 20s, would stay on social welfare for up to 22 years in respect of each child. What we are doing now is offering lone parents a very specific opportunity, when their youngest child is between seven and 14 years of age, to get enhanced support, particularly in regard to education and training but also in regard to going back into employment, if that is a possibility for them. Some 17,000 lone parents have transited up to now and the feedback and the experience is extremely positive, unlike what the Deputy is suggesting. At the end of the day, the best way out of poverty is to get a qualification, because people who have qualifications tend to get better paid jobs, and then to get employment, because being in employment is generally significantly better than having an income that is entirely made up of social welfare only.

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