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

With respect, I think the Deputy is getting a few things mixed up. Many lone parents are not in receipt of social welfare payments. This is primarily a matter of family law and under family law, regardless of anything to do with social welfare, people have an obligation to provide for maintenance of their children. That is a civil matter between the two parents concerned. What the Department can do, if the person is on the one-parent family payment - and only the one-parent family payment - is seek a determination order. For example, if a lone parent is in receipt of a disability payment or some other payment it was never the case that the Department could seek a determination. I have a copy of the letter that is issued to partners and it does not say what Deputy Brady said. I will try to dig it out and read it out because the information the Deputy has been given on the contents of the letter is not fully accurate. I wish to make it very clear that it is the Department's policy never to request a lone parent to contact an abusive partner and seek maintenance. We have heard a claim from one representative organisation that this was done and we have asked for information in that case, or in any similar case, in order that we can see whether that was the case but it has not provided the information yet.

See this speech in context