Rose Conway Walsh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul this morning published a report which finds that poverty doubled among working lone parents between 2012 and 2017. These are parents who have done everything by the book. They get up early in the morning, perhaps even earlier than the Taoiseach himself, yet they have been left behind. This Government is failing working single parents who are living in poverty. This is disgraceful not just because of the conditions in which lone parents now live, but because there are actions that need to be taken right now.

The activation measures taken during the Fine Gael-Labour Party Government were only going to deliver one result, and this is it. We said at the time that they would push more mothers and fathers parenting alone into poverty. Who cares, though, so long as the Government can spin the numbers? Who cares that there was a failure to back up these measures to increase employment with other policy changes, such as a reduction in the cost of childcare, rent reductions, family-friendly employment practices and greater access to education? In Ireland, 84% of lone parents were unable to meet unexpected expenses. This compares with an EU 15 average of 58%. Unexpected expenses can mean a trip to the doctor or the dentist for either the parent or the child. There is also a fear of other unexpected expenses. This is why we see many lone parents being forced to deal with very unscrupulous moneylenders, who charge interest rates in the hundreds of per cent on the money they lend to lone parents and others.

One of the recommendations included in the St. Vincent de Paul report is to benchmark social welfare payments, such as the jobseeker's transitional payment and the working family payment, to the cost of a minimum standard of living to ensure adequate income. Sinn Féin introduced legislation to this effect last year in the Dáil, and I urge the Minister, Deputy Regina Doherty, to consider this as one way in which we can lift lone-parent families out of poverty.

Another recommendation that could be acted on immediately is to extend the cut-off age for the jobseeker's transitional payment until the youngest child is 18 to assist lone parents in ensuring they are actually better off at work. I would suggest even beyond the age of 18. I would suggest this should be extended to children still in education and going into third level education. In the North there is the child maintenance service. Sinn Féin has proposed that this be established here as well.

Finally, SUSI must be extended to students studying part time to allow lone parents to access education while fulfilling their caring responsibilities. I ask the Minister to come before the House to discuss this report. I thank the St. Vincent de Paul not only for this report and the numerous other reports it has done, but for all it does for people struggling in poverty in this country. Time and time again I have had to go to the St. Vincent de Paul on behalf of families, whether the issue be education or that they just cannot live. They cannot exist. Such families are dependent on the St. Vincent de Paul. I commend all the volunteers in St. Vincent de Paul for the wonderful work they do.