Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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6. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will acknowledge the concerns of many homeless charities to the effect that changes to the one-parent family payment structure will lead to an increase in homelessness and an increase in the number of persons in emergency accommodation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24833/15]

Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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My question is to ask the Minister and Minister for Social Protection whether she acknowledges the concerns of those working in the housing charities and those in homelessness to the effect that the changes to the one-parent family structure is going to lead to an increase in homelessness and the numbers seeking emergency accommodation.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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In recent weeks I have met representatives from the non-governmental organisations in the housing sector and lone-parent representative groups. As I said to colleagues earlier, I am looking at all the social welfare payments in the context of the budget. Last year for lone parents and all parents I was happy to be able to increase child benefit and bring in the back to work family dividend for lone parents. I am aware of the concerns which have been raised around the reforms of the one-parent family payment.

While I welcome the debate that has been generated by the reforms, my priority is to ensure that we as a society arrive at a situation in which lone parents have the same opportunities to access employment, training and education as all others. For too long, significant numbers of lone parents have been confined to social welfare dependency, and despite the provision of extensive funding to lone parent payments, the one-parent family payment scheme has not succeeded in preventing lone parents from being more at risk of poverty than the population as a whole. I am concerned that the outcome for their children is not as good as it should be. Therefore, the Department will now work with lone parents on a one-to-one basis to provide them with enhanced access to the Department's supports and services.

In regard to people at risk of homelessness, two weeks ago the organisations informed me of their concerns about the number of families becoming homeless, particularly families that are not aware of the supports that are available. I wish to stress again that if the Deputy is aware of anybody who is at risk of becoming homeless, she should advise him or her to call to the Department's community welfare service, because we have a protocol in place which allows us to review the rent allowance. We have done that already in a significant number of cases in Dublin city and around the country.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House

While responsibility for provision of accommodation for homeless persons rests with local authorities, the Department has put in place a number of preventative measures to ensure that people at risk of homelessness are supported under the rent supplement scheme where increased rental payments are required. The Department is actively communicating information on these supports, including by text message to all rent supplement beneficiaries. These measures allow for flexibility in assessing customers’ individual accommodation needs on a case-by-case basis. The community welfare service of the Department has a statutory discretionary power to increase a supplement for rental purposes, including when dealing with applicants who are in danger of homelessness. These measures are kept under review to ensure that the appropriate supports are provided.

Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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No one would disagree with the Minister that lone parents should have the same opportunities as other parents. Also, I have been encouraging people who are experiencing problems in the area of rent supplement to go to the community welfare and social protection offices. However, as we know, one-parent families have suffered higher deprivation and poverty rates than the general population and now they are having to withstand a further cut. My concern relates to the detrimental effect of this on children. We know from the Ombudsman's report that back in 2008, some 6.8% of children were in consistent poverty. This year, that figure has risen to 11.7%, indicating an increase in childhood poverty. We have met the housing organisations and have heard the same statistics from them. Their great fear is that children may now join the numbers of rough sleepers.

The Minister is proceeding with the change to the structure of the payments. How well will that be monitored, and if the organisations' fears are realised, how quickly can the Department address that situation?

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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In 2004, at the height of the economic boom, the risk of consistent poverty for lone parents was more than four and a half times that of the population as a whole. In 2015, the risk of consistent poverty for lone parents is two and a half times that of the rest of the population. Therefore, the risk of poverty has halved in relative terms. It should also be noted that the latest CSO figures indicating that 23% of one-parent families are living in consistent poverty include both people who are in work and those who are not in work. The CSO study tells me that for lone parents who are at work, the consistent poverty rates are much lower, at approximately 10%. I do not think 10%, or two and a half times the poverty risk of the rest of the population, is acceptable.

If a lone parent with one child can get 19 hours' work at the minimum wage of €165, for example, and also gets approximately €230 per week in family income supplement and back-to-work family dividend from the Department, it gives that parent an income of €400 which is not taxable. This is a tremendous improvement on the figure of €188 plus €30 for one child which he or she would get if on lone parent allowance alone.

Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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I thank the Minister for her response. I do not know which lone parents she has been meeting, but I have been hearing a different story from those I have met regarding what faces them. It is ironic that the One Family organisation issued a press release last March welcoming the fact that the Minister reversed the cuts to the carer's allowance for lone parents. The organisation said that was a lifeline for most vulnerable families with children who also care for a family member who is ill, elderly or has special needs. This was a welcome reversal, but now we are seeing genuine fear.

I could read out letters I have received from lone parents in my constituency about the difference this cut will make to them. They want the best possible outcomes for their children and they want the same opportunities for them as other families. However, they are not able to get that.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Again, I urge the Deputy, if she believes this has had a negative effect on lone parents whom she knows and caused a risk to their housing situation, to encourage those people to go to the community welfare service, where a protocol is in operation to assist them. This service has already assisted approximately 2,000 families on a one-to-one basis.

In regard to the changes in social welfare, as we are getting people back to work - we have got the unemployment rate down from 15.2% to 9.85% - the key to achieving this has been the Intreo office, which is a friendly place where people get income support and advice and can avail of support services. As a consequence, many people, including young people who might have felt they would never find work, have been assisted. I attended a graduation ceremony recently of young people involved in work. The key to success in this is one-to-one engagement. Therefore, I encourage the Deputy to ask some of the people affected to consider calling into the Intreo office and talking to an employment officer so we can see whether we can improve their situation, particularly their housing situation.