Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

This issue arose and was well publicised because when "Kate" - not her real name - applied for the one-parent family payment, she was told to make reasonable efforts to contact her former partner. When she produced a safety order, the staff member said such orders were quite easy to obtain and intimated that some people got them to avoid having maintenance payments factored in. That is completely and utterly unacceptable. This issue has been highlighted and the Minister has met the person involved, as well as a number of organisations. However, we need a need a clear protocol to be issued in order that a victim simply stating he or she is a victim will be enough. I press the Minister to state this is the instruction that is being issued to all local offices because many victims do not obtain safety orders. It is estimated that 79% of victims do not obtain them. We know that many victims experience financial, emotional and other forms of abuse and having to make any contact with an abusive partner can get them into so much difficulty. We should not be re-victimising them in this way. We should also recognise that when women become pregnant, it can, unfortunately, be a red flag for further abuse. Often fathers seek to control women. A study carried out in the Rotunda Hospital showed that one in eight women attending had experienced some form of abuse during pregnancy. Much of this emanates from the Government's welfare cheats campaign. I know that the Minister is now taking action to resolve the issue, but a philosophy is spreading within the Department that staff check, question and do everything that it is possible to do.

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