Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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5. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the progress in relation to the child maintenance review group report in view of the fact the report was due to be published by the end of 2021; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5729/22]

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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What progress has been made on the report that was due at the end of the year from the child maintenance review group? It is an important piece of work. We know the issues that lone parents experience in accessing and receiving maintenance. The establishment of the group was welcome. Will the Minister please update the House on how the report stands?

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this important question. The programme for Government commits the Government to acting to reform our child maintenance system and addressing key issues such as calculation, facilitation and enforcement, guided by international best practice and in light of the findings of the child maintenance review group's report.

In line with this commitment, the Government established a child maintenance review group to examine certain issues in respect of child maintenance. The group is chaired by former Circuit Court Judge Catherine Murphy and includes legal, policy and academic professionals as well as officials from my Department and the Department of Justice. The group's terms of reference are to consider and make recommendations on the current treatment of child maintenance payments in my Department; the current provisions regarding liable relatives managed by my Department; and the establishment of a child maintenance agency.

The work of the group is well under way. To date, it has held 14 meetings. Further meetings are planned on a regular basis until the report's completion.

A consultation process to facilitate feedback from stakeholder groups and members of the public to inform the group's work was undertaken last year. I have been advised by the chair that the group's report is expected to be submitted to me before Easter. Given the importance and complexity of the issues, I am satisfied with the amended timeline set out by the chair. I trust this clarifies the position.

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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I hope the report, because it is long-awaited, will be published as soon as possible after the Minister receives it. As she knows, there are considerable difficulties. I have never believed the court was the right place for child maintenance to be agreed. We know that where a court order is made for maintenance, it does not necessarily mean payments are made. It falls on the lone parent again to go back to court. The court is not the right setting for sorting out child maintenance. It does not work. Once the maintenance is agreed, it is not necessarily paid. It is automatically regarded as means when it comes to other social protection payments. That is an issue.

We brought forward proposals in 2017 and 2019 reflective of the model in place in the north of Ireland. It takes the matter out of the lone parent's hands and sorts out the maintenance for him or her for the benefit of the child. That is what we need to examine. We need the review group to recommend a statutory child maintenance service. I hope that is something the Minister will seek to progress.

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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We are absolutely on the one page on this; I agree with the Deputy. There is nothing worse than what she has described. I saw the problem myself when I worked in the credit union and, indeed, the bank. Whenever a lone parent, who was usually a woman, got a court order, it was a case of a payment being made one week and missed for the next couple, followed by another payment. It was terribly frustrating.

The work of the review group is important. It did ask for a bit of extra time. The matter is complex. A lot of work has been put into it. I look forward to receiving the report at Easter. I do not want to pre-empt what will be in the report but I want to work with the House to move this forward. There are different models in different countries, and it is a question of finding the best one that works well for us here. I am committed to doing that. I acknowledge the Deputy has a great interest in this also, as do many of the other female Members of the Oireachtas. In this regard, I got a copy of a long submission that one of the Senators made to the child maintenance review group. The matter is complex but I want to work on it.

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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Let me outline one step the Minister could take regarding child maintenance; I ask her to consider it. In the small number of cases where child maintenance is fully paid, we should really consider removing it from the means test. It should not be seen as household means. Child maintenance, when paid, is for the benefit of the child; it is not household means. One thing the Minister could do, with or without the report, is investigate this. Child maintenance should not be calculated as household means; it is for assisting and rearing the child. We know how it is becoming increasingly expensive to rear a child. Child maintenance payments should not be included as household means. The Minister could consider this. I ask her to do so.

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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At the minute, the income from maintenance payments is assessed as means. In most cases, 50% of the person's weekly maintenance payment is assessed. That is half of it. There is a further disregard of €95.23 per week, with the balance of any maintenance being assessed at 50%. I take the Deputy's point but the matter will be considered in the review. It is best to await the report because I am aware that the issues I have asked the group to consider are quite detailed and complex. I am waiting to see what the report says.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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That completes Priority Questions. I am tempted to thank the Members for co-operating regarding time and to say the co-operation is because of the gender representation. Anyway, we stayed within time for Priority Questions.