Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 13:

In page 14, after line 18, to insert the following:“Report in respect of National Maintenance Body

20. The Minister for Employment and Social Protection shall, within 6 months of the passing of this Act, prepare and lay a report before the Houses of the Oireachtas on options to establish a State body to appropriately seek and pursue maintenance payments.”.

I propose to withdraw my amendment because my colleague, Senator Ruane, is very keen to discuss the issue with the Minister. She has already been in discussions with the Minister. My amendment refers to a national maintenance body. As the Minister will be aware, the joint committee put forward a very strong recommendation in its report on the Position of Lone Parents in Ireland published earlier this year. We very strongly suggested that we need to consider the option of a national maintenance body and highlighted the flaws. I know the Minister and others, on separate occasions, talked about the flaws whereby we have practices that are inappropriate for women, although it is not always women who must pursue their spouses for maintenance payments to support their children. Such people also fear that they may lose payments or get reduced ones if they are not seen to be actively seeking a maintenance payment.

A few years ago there was an unfortunate moment in the history of the Department of Employment Affairs Social Protection when it issued a letter informing a number of spouses that they would no longer be watching to see if maintenance payments were made. I refer to the time the jobseekers transitional payment was introduced and there was a move away from the one-parent family payment. The letter was framed in an unfortunate manner because it sent a negative signal about maintenance. Historical mistakes have been made and the current practices do not work. I will not enumerate them in great detail because I know it is an issue of great interest for my colleague, Senator Ruane, who is attending a meeting of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution. Therefore, I will withdraw my amendment and will resubmit it on Report Stage when Senator Ruane will speak on it. The Minister can comment briefly if she wishes.