Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I understand what the Minister is saying. Maintenance has always been a matter primarily for the parents and the courts. Up to now an absent parent of a child aged up to 14 years could be pursued by the State to contribute to the welfare the State is paying to the parent who is living with the child. Currently, an absent parent can only be pursued until the child has reached aged seven. I do not see any good reason this provision cannot be extended to such time as the single parent is in no longer in receipt of jobseeker's transition payments, which would be the same as applied previously.

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