Michael Brennan (Progressive Democrats)

I am glad that document is published and I thank the lone parents' associations and organisations whose representatives I met recently. I also pay tribute to the officials and working groups who put so much work into that document. Yesterday the Seanad Office asked me when I might be in a position to debate that matter in the House. I understand the debate is provisionally set for immediately after the Easter break, so we will be able to have a good discussion at that time. It is appropriate for me to leave the matter at that.

At present total State spending on supporting lone parents is €1.3 billion per year. One in three children born last year was born to an unmarried mother. The rate of poverty is approximately 6% in the population generally but it is three and a half times that among lone parents — the official figures put it at close to 30%. There is significant concentration of child poverty as a result of lone parenthood, which is why our earlier discussion on child poverty is so important. A quarter of all lone parents did not go beyond primary education.

I would like to deal with one myth. Only 2% of lone parents are teenagers. While 2% is too many, there has been a misinterpretation of the profile of lone parenthood. Most lone parents are substantially older than their teenage years. Approximately 60% of lone parents do some work but it is very low paid work, chosen deliberately to keep them under the threshold of €146, so their allowance is not interfered with.

I am excited about the reforms I believe we can put together. My Department has its inspectors knocking on doors, a job they do not like to do and which, in the 21st century, I am not sure it makes sense to do. The inspectors want to know whether the child's father is living in the house and, if so, the allowance is taken away.

The report which has been published recommends solutions, although they are not easy solutions. I look forward to a good discussion on the report. I hope we can have early legislation. If I can achieve some form of consensus in both Houses, we should move quickly on this.