Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I had in mind a lone parent who was in receipt of the basic payment, not also working and receiving benefits. I will give the Deputy the figures, if he is interested. As a result of the changes made in 2015, 47% of lone parents, 12,000, experienced no change in their incomes; 12%, 3,000, saw an increase in their incomes; and 19%, approximately 4,900, suffered an income loss, as did 5,700 family income supplement, FIS, recipients. I hope the Deputy will acknowledge in his reply that some people's incomes increased.

I am happy to acknowledge that, at least under those reforms, approximately 59% had no change or were better off and 41% lost income. The changes were not perfect, but those that we make in future in respect of lone parents will be to assist them with the cost of child care and helping them into education, not to make it easier to get more welfare, which is not the right way to go.

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