Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

Prior to the measures taken by the previous Minister, Deputy Joan Burton, in 2012, 60% of lone parents were in some form of employment, but not necessarily full-time employment. By 2014, that figure had dropped to 36%, precisely because it was costing lone parents more to go out to work than to stay at home and be lone parents in the home. The measures taken by the previous Minister did not fit the bill for what is required. When we talk about equality proofing in the budget, we will need equality proofing on the programme for Government, because the programme talks about a new work and family payment. We have gone from the one-parent family payment to a new payment which includes being able to collect family income support, and now in the programme the Minister is talking about changing that again to a working family payment.

What we are arguing here is that he should not even dare to move to that until Dr. Millar's report is published and we have a chance to examine its findings. The Minister said they are not about comparisons and that that is not an excuse to do nothing, but it certainly is not an excuse to make the same mistake again and drive more lone parents, and their children, further into poverty. As the statistics show, one in five children of lone parents live in chronic poverty.

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