Marie Moloney (Labour)

I appreciate that the Minister is looking at the relevant age limit applying to one-parent family schemes in other countries. However, we must treat like with like. Child care services are far more readily available in other countries.

I have spoken on several occasions to the Minister about the one-parent family payment and how hard life is for such families. I know that she is working towards providing a model which will make it easier for lone parents to work while providing for their children. It is almost impossible for them to juggle working and rearing a family outside school hours. It is welcome that the one-parent family payment in respect of children in receipt of domiciliary care allowance will remain in place until the youngest child reaches 16 years of age, at which time he or she can in his or her own right claim disability allowance.

I congratulate the Minister on being the first to tackle fraud in a vibrant manner. I commend her for giving social welfare inspectors more powers to combat social welfare fraud and abuse at ports and airports and make inquiries of landlords. Many might question the reason we are giving inspectors powers to make inquiries of landlords, but I am aware of people who are claiming rent allowance which never makes its way to the landlord. Some people who have left the country are still in receipt of the allowance because there is no link-up with CWOs.