Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

In 2004, at the height of the economic boom, the risk of consistent poverty for lone parents was more than four and a half times that of the population as a whole. In 2015, the risk of consistent poverty for lone parents is two and a half times that of the rest of the population. Therefore, the risk of poverty has halved in relative terms. It should also be noted that the latest CSO figures indicating that 23% of one-parent families are living in consistent poverty include both people who are in work and those who are not in work. The CSO study tells me that for lone parents who are at work, the consistent poverty rates are much lower, at approximately 10%. I do not think 10%, or two and a half times the poverty risk of the rest of the population, is acceptable.

If a lone parent with one child can get 19 hours' work at the minimum wage of €165, for example, and also gets approximately €230 per week in family income supplement and back-to-work family dividend from the Department, it gives that parent an income of €400 which is not taxable. This is a tremendous improvement on the figure of €188 plus €30 for one child which he or she would get if on lone parent allowance alone.

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