John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am aware that the responsibility lies with the Minister's colleague but it is an issue which Deputy Doherty, as Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, must have a concern when she reads the information on the deprivation levels among lone parents in the ESRI report. We are aware of both the evidence and the studies that have been carried out.

The Millar and Crosse report, the Indecon report and the Survey on Income and Living Conditions, SILC, report for 2016 show clearly that consistent poverty levels are substantially higher in lone parent families. We know for a fact that child maintenance plays a critical role in helping to lift lone parent families out of consistent poverty.

In November, when I put the question about the establishment of a child maintenance service to the Minister, she asked, "Does Deputy Brady seriously think it is the State's responsibility to chase down maintenance?" The simple answer to that is "yes". There is a responsibility on the State to chase down maintenance to help lift lone parent families out of poverty and the establishment of a statutory child maintenance service would allow that to happen. I again ask the Minister for her view as to whether it is something that would be beneficial to lone parents and whether it is something that she, as Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, would consider.

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