Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I do not have an ideological problem with any parent in this country and I ask the Deputy to be mindful of the comments or accusations he throws around. I have done nothing since I was appointed to this position in June 2017 but advocate as strongly and loudly as I can to destigmatise the issues around lone parenting and to support lone parents. I have made commitments to ensure I will continue to do that. The Deputy has conflated the cuts that were made in 2012 and 2013 with the changes in policy. I reiterate that the Indecon review on the one-parent family payment changes, which was worth every single penny we were charged, found that those changes resulted in an increase in employment among lone parents and a decrease in welfare dependency. I am the first person to stand here and admit to the Deputy that the cuts were harsh, targeted and unfair. That is why I am unravelling them. However, I ask him to please not conflate those cuts with introduction of a new policy that provides educational and activation supports with a pathway to employment. That policy has had a positive outcome, as borne out in the Indecon report. The cuts were harsh and they will be unravelled but the Deputy should not conflate one policy with a cut.

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