Written answers

Wednesday, 23 February 2005

Department of Social and Family Affairs

Social Welfare Benefits

9:00 pm

Photo of Jimmy DeenihanJimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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Question 71: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the welfare traps that are associated to the one parent family payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6089/05]

Photo of Aengus Ó SnodaighAengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 73: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs when he proposes to introduce new measures to replace the allowance for lone parents. [5910/05]

Photo of Paul Connaughton  SnrPaul Connaughton Snr (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Question 85: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs his proposals to change the lone parents allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6088/05]

Photo of Dan BoyleDan Boyle (Cork South Central, Green Party)
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Question 108: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs his proposals to change the one parent family allowance. [6069/05]

Photo of Pádraic McCormackPádraic McCormack (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Question 109: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the measures he intends to introduce to reverse the situation by which certain welfare payments prevent the parents of children from living together; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6042/05]

Photo of Séamus BrennanSéamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 71, 73, 85, 108 and 109 together.

The one parent family payment is designed to provide income support to parents with insufficient means who have to parent alone. This can arise as a result of being widowed, or following separation or divorce, or being unmarried.

The scheme in its present form largely reflects the reality that applied up to relatively recently, whereby mothers were mainly the full time carers, with the father being the sole breadwinner. The main aim of the scheme, therefore, has been to provide income support for mothers parenting alone to replace that which would otherwise be provided by the father in a two parent family. The scheme thus provides lone parents with the same option parents have in two parent families, that of rearing their children themselves.

This reality, however, has been substantially changing in recent years. It is now more common in two parent families for both parents to work outside the home either on a full time basis or with one parent working full time and the other working part-time. Two income families are increasingly becoming the norm and international research shows that the risk of poverty for such families is on average less than 4%.

One parent family households are, accordingly, at greater risk of poverty and, if these households are jobless, the risk of poverty is greater again.

Reflecting current realities, therefore, now requires giving parents the option of working outside the home and enabling them reconcile the demands of this work and their responsibilities to care for their children.

The OECD, in a recent report on an international comparative study on reconciling work and family life, in which Ireland participated, found that employment participation among lone parents in this country is among the lowest in the OECD. This is despite the huge employment growth and increasing female participation in the workforce in recent years and the income disregards afforded to lone parents who take up employment.

In addition, of those in employment, a high proportion are in relatively low paying part-time employment. This may be due, in part at least, to the fact that availing of the income disregard under the one parent family payment scheme enables a recipient top up their benefit from part-time employment without foregoing the security of having a regular weekly benefit. The report points out that this may be achieved at the price of foregoing better paid full time employment, greater self-sufficiency and a higher standard of living.

Entitlement to payments under the schemes is also contingent on not cohabiting with another adult either in marriage or outside marriage. This is essential in ensuring that recipients under the schemes do not gain an advantage over those living together, either married or otherwise, and parenting the children on a joint basis. Reluctance to forgo the income security provided by the one parent family payment may also act as a disincentive to a partnership and ultimately marriage for recipients.

Much research has been undertaken in recent years into the operation of the one parent family scheme, including a review of the scheme by my own Department published in 2001 and participation in the OECD project on reconciling work and family life, mentioned above. A nationwide consultation took place in 2003, on which a report entitled Families and Family Life in Ireland: Challenges for the Future has been published, which includes consideration of the position of lone parents and their children. There are currently a number of processes under way in which the findings of this analysis and research are being drawn together.

The issue is being examined in the context of a wider examination of supports for families in a changing society being co-ordinated by the family affairs unit of my Department through an interdepartmental committee. The outcome of this examination is scheduled to be completed by mid-year.

Second, the Cabinet Committee on Social Inclusion last November requested the Senior Officials Group, which reports to it, to undertake a specific study on the obstacles to employment for lone parents, including those which may exist in the current income support arrangements. A small working group has been set up to examine the matter intensively over the coming months with a view to reporting by mid year. The working group also includes representatives of the Departments of the Taoiseach and Finance, and my Department is directly involved with other relevant Departments participating during consideration of policy issues relevant to them. My Department will be reviewing the existing income support arrangements and provisions as an input to the work of the group.

One of the aims of these processes will be to propose changes to the schemes that will remove obstacles to claimants achieving, more easily than at present, greater self-sufficiency through employment and/or, if desirable, through a reconstituted family. This will in many cases also offer greater prospects of an improved standard of living and quality of life than continued reliance on the one parent family payment.

Photo of Eamon RyanEamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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Question 72: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the consideration he has given to the introduction of a special waste allowance for social welfare recipients. [6078/05]

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 95: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if his Department has had discussions with the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government on the introduction of a special bin charge allowance for elderly persons; the progress which has been made to date; his proposals in regard to same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6032/05]

Photo of Willie PenroseWillie Penrose (Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 120: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if he is engaged in discussions with the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government regarding a possible waiver scheme for social welfare recipients; if so, the nature and content of such discussions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5887/05]

Photo of Olivia MitchellOlivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 179: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the progress which has been made on the promised introduction of a common nationwide waste charges waiver system for qualifying applicants. [6255/05]

Photo of Séamus BrennanSéamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 72, 95, 120 and 179 together.

My Department has held discussions with the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government regarding aspects of the arrangements governing the collection and disposal of domestic waste.

Those discussions have focused on establishing the facts and exchanging information about the level of charges for domestic waste management, the increasing role played by commercial operators and the reduced role played by some local authorities in this area.

It is clear from those discussions that this is a complex and evolving issue. The range of charges imposed varies quite considerably from area to area, and from operator to operator. In addition, even where the total charges imposed by operators may be similar, the charging regimes vary quite considerably.

For example, some operators impose a single annual charge, others impose smaller but more frequent charges while some operators impose a mix of standard standing charges coupled with "pay by use" charges that respond to either the volume or the weight of waste.

The setting of waste management charges is a matter for the relevant local authority in cases where it acts as the service provider. It is also a matter for the local authority to determine the nature and extent of the waiver schemes that they operate in such cases. There is no reason any local authority that collects domestic waste cannot design and implement a waiver system that protects the position of people on social welfare and others on low incomes.

Where a private operator is providing the domestic waste collection service, the operator sets the charges and no waiver is available. This can lead to difficulties for people on social welfare payments and others on low incomes, for example, if they are required to make a single annual payment.

To address this, I understand the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government is proposing to work with the waste industry to ensure that all private domestic waste operators include accessible "pay by use" options for customers in their areas who would face difficulty in paying annually. One approach that will be explored is that every operator would be required to offer a "bag" or "tag" option that a household could purchase each week or at whatever interval suited their circumstances.

The introduction of a national social welfare scheme at this stage to address the issue is not considered feasible given the wide range of charging regimes and cost levels that exist in respect of waste management throughout the State. Any system put in place to assist people who rely on private domestic waste collection would have to be sensitive to the different local arrangements.

I will continue to closely monitor this situation to ensure that suitable arrangements are in place to avoid hardship for people on social welfare payments and others on low incomes.

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