Nicky McFadden (Fine Gael)

I move amendment No. 4:

In page 9, between lines 35 and 36, to insert the following subsections:

"(3) The Minister shall, within 3 months of the commencement of this Act, lay before each House of the Oireachtas, a report on the link between receipt of lone parent allowance and the commencement of employment.

(4) The Minister shall, within 3 months of the commencement of this Act, lay before each House of the Oireachtas, a report on the progress made to support and encourage one parent families in entering the workforce.".

My strong view is that there are very few incentives for lone parents to go back to work. I am sure the Minister in her clinics has come in contact with many lone parents who may be working part-time and find that they are probably better off not working and instead stay at home and keep all their allowances such as the back to school clothing and footwear allowances, their medical card and supplementary child care allowance. Their grant for the provision of school books is now gone. These allowances are an automatic entitlement for those on social welfare whereas a person working for 20 hours a week will lose those benefits. I have first-hand knowledge of these people who lose their benefits.

I am sorry to say that since I last stood here, nothing has changed. I was one of those lone parents. In the 1980s I remember getting an increase of £1 in my wages and I lost £80 in allowances, which was the equivalent of my mortgage repayment. I was in dire straits but I was fortunate in having a good family. If I did not have my family at that time I would have been better off not working. Thankfully I was able to stay in my job but this situation is something very close to my heart and I really empathise with lone parents. These are well educated women who want to give good example to their children and who desperately want to be in the workforce. They value the social aspect of work, they want to give good example to their children and they want to escape the poverty trap. The only way to get out of the poverty trap is not to be on social welfare but rather to work and better oneself. I ask the Minister to consider the amendment. I am not happy with the way the situation has progressed in the past year and I ask for the Minister's comments.