Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Minister tells me about a general policy, but what specific direct actions does the Government plan to take to deal with this issue? Certain groups are particularly at risk such as children from lone-parent families, children in jobless households, Traveller and Roma children, children living in direct provision, children with disabilities and obviously those who are homeless. The measures brought in by the last Government had a significant direct impact on one-parent families and their children. For example, at 22.1% one-parent family households have the highest consistent poverty rate of any household type in Ireland but the cuts introduced in July 2015, which lowered the age threshold for the youngest child of new recipients to seven years of age, mean that one-parent families now have to fight even harder to make ends meet and God knows they face several barriers aside from that. A direct action would be, for example, to change that measure and go back to where we were. It was a draconian measure and one which was always going to have a terrible effect on lone parents and child poverty.

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