Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 38: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs his plans to reassess the system by which the one-parent family payment is awarded; his views on whether the payment encourages women to raise children on their own; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30832/05]

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 64: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs his proposals to change the lone parent allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30854/05]

Gay Mitchell (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 66: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the measures he will introduce to reverse the situation where certain welfare payments prevent the parents of children from living together; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30860/05]

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 74: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs his views on whether the system by which the one-parent family payment operates encourages discrimination against fathers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30833/05]

Willie Penrose (Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 81: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs his proposals for the reform of the one-parent family payment system, with a view to making it easier for lone parents to enter or re-enter the workforce; if he will bring forward formal proposals in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30942/05]

Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 83: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the fact that 33% of single parent families live in consistent poverty; and his plans regarding same. [30999/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 38, 64, 66, 74, 81 and 83 together.

The one-parent family payment is designed to provide income support to parents with insufficient means who are parenting alone. This can arise as a result of being widowed, or following separation or divorce, or being unmarried. The findings of the recent EU survey on income and living conditions, EU SILC, bear out the findings of previous surveys and of experience in other developed countries that poverty rates tend to be higher among larger families and one-parent families. This is mainly due both to the direct costs of rearing children, including child care cost, and the opportunity costs related to the reduced earning capacity of parents, arising from their care responsibilities. This applies particularly to lone parent families, as the lone parent has to be the main breadwinner and carer at the same time.

The EU SILC figures show that 42.3% of households made up of one adult with children are at risk of poverty, which can be defined as the proportion of the population below an income threshold of 60% of median income. This compares with 22.7% of the population as a whole and 15.3% of two adults with between one and three children in the household. The percentage of lone parent households in consistent poverty was 32.6% compared to 9.4% of total households and 6.5% of two adults and between one and three children households. It is generally accepted that for people in working age households, the main route out of poverty is employment. The OECD, in a recent report on an international comparative study on reconciling work and family life, found that employment participation among lone parents in this country is among the lowest in the OECD. This is despite huge employment growth and increasing female participation in the workforce in recent years and the income disregards afforded to lone parents under the one parent family payment who take up employment.

Entitlement to payments under the current scheme is also contingent on not cohabiting with another adult either in marriage or outside marriage. Reluctance to forego the income security provided by the one-parent family payment may, however, act as a disincentive to a partnership and ultimately marriage for recipients. In addition, recognition of the mother as primary caregiver has meant that where the parents are separated, the mother usually retains custody of the children and, if there is eligibility, full entitlement to the one parent family payment. The scheme, as it operates, therefore, may not sufficiently facilitate or promote joint parenting and to that extent may not be sufficiently father friendly.

One of the key tasks in the ending child poverty initiative under Sustaining Progress is to address obstacles to employment for lone parents. The senior officials group on social inclusion was mandated late last year to examine this issue and report back to the Cabinet Sub-committee on Social Inclusion with specific proposals. A subgroup of the senior officials group has been examining obstacles to employment for lone parent families, with particular emphasis on income supports, employment, education, child care and support programmes and information.

We must also income supports closely and how we can adjust those supports to better address the social problems that can arise for those who receive these payments. In this regard, my Department has established a working group to review the income support arrangements for lone parents. Issues being addressed include the contingency basis of the one parent family payment, cohabitation, maintenance and secondary benefits. A consultation process with social partners and other interested parties was also undertaken to inform the work of the group. The findings of this group feed into the work of the senior officials subgroup. The Cabinet Sub-committee on Social Inclusion has been updated on the progress of both working groups. I will bring the final reports to Cabinet shortly with a view to publication in the near future. It is intended that the outcome of these reviews will contribute to the development of proposals designed to better support and encourage lone parents in achieving a better standard of living, employment and education opportunities and a better future for themselves and their children. These will be the main criteria against which recommendations in the reports will be judged. I am committed to reforms that will improve the quality of life for lone parents and their children by offering them respect and support while avoiding poverty traps.

John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Question 39: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs his progress in allowing mobile phones to be included in the telephone allowance of the free scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30842/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The household benefits package, which comprises the electricity-gas allowance, telephone allowance and free lifetime television licence is available to people living permanently in the State who must satisfy certain qualifying conditions. As of 30 September 2005, there were 308,923 customers in receipt of the telephone allowance from my Department. The primary objective of the telephone allowance scheme is to ensure access to help in an emergency and to provide an element of security. A secondary objective is to encourage social contact and to assist in the prevention of social isolation for those living alone.

I am committed to the development of the telephone allowance scheme to respond to the expanding telecommunications market and to facilitate greater customer choice of telephone services. The administrative and technical arrangements for payment of the household benefits were originally designed for a relationship with a single provider per utility market and are not sustainable in a deregulated energy market environment with multiple service providers. Specifically, with regard to the telephone allowance, an interim process has been employed to allow the participation of other land line telecommunications suppliers but this is only sustainable for the present in view of the small number of customers — approximately 10,000 — availing of the telephone allowance from suppliers other than Eircom. This interim process is administratively complex and is not favoured by the industry or the regulator. When considering the extension of this scheme to cover mobile phones, there are similar administrative and technical issues to be resolved both internally within the department and externally in the market.

My Department is examining the position regarding the opening up of the telecommunications market, including mobile phone services and the impact this will have on the telephone allowance. I am keen to ensure our customers will be able to avail of the choices being presented by the opening up of the market. However, my Department must comply with the requirements of the relevant Commissioners for Communications and Energy Regulation with regard to customer choice and market competition. In identifying a solution to the current issues, the Department is carrying out a fundamental review of the operational arrangements with the various service providers. Consultation with the regulators, interest groups and other relevant bodies forms part of the review process. It is expected this process will be completed later this year and I will then make decisions on the most appropriate method of adapting the household benefits package to respond to market changes, including extending the telephone allowance scheme to include an option for mobile telephones.

Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Green Party)
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Question 40: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs his plans to undertake information campaigns regarding specific entitlements to services or payments administered or partly administered by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30973/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has a comprehensive information policy which is designed to ensure that all citizens are made aware of their entitlements in a timely fashion. It also ensures customers are kept informed of changes and improvements in schemes and services as they occur. From time to time my Department undertakes specific information campaigns on the introduction of new schemes, changes in entitlements and improvements in services. To date in 2005, three such information campaigns have been undertaken. These were as follows: respite care grant scheme — a national and provincial newspaper campaign to advertise improvements to the scheme so that more carers could qualify for the grant; capital assessments — a national newspaper campaign to advise people about the improvements in the way capital is assessed for means tested payments; and options and opportunities for lone parents — the publication and distribution of a magazine advising lone parents about the supports available to them. The magazine was sent to more than 86,000 customers in receipt of the one-parent family payment. In addition, my Department plans to run an information campaign later this year to promote the role of the social welfare local offices as a key information contact point in disseminating information on social welfare entitlements across all age groups.

My Department takes a proactive approach in advertising new schemes and services, together with changes and improvements to existing schemes and services by using an appropriate mix of national and provincial media, and through information leaflets, fact sheets, posters and direct mail shots. In the interests of ensuring the information campaigns run by my Department, and the agencies attached to it, are structured and targeted in a way that reaches the maximum number of customers, I have established a communications liaison group in the Department. I have requested this group to monitor ongoing campaigns and to come forward with proposals and suggestions on how the dissemination of information to customers can be further enhanced. All schemes and services are publicised on the website at www.welfare.ie. Selective use is made of freefone telephone services to provide information on new schemes and services and at particular times of the year, such as budget time.

My Department produces a comprehensive range of information booklets explaining entitlements to specific social welfare payments. These are widely available from the network of 130 social welfare local offices and branch offices throughout the country as well as from citizens' information centres and many local organisations. Information is also available from information officers located in social welfare local offices. In addition, information officers give talks to many groups and organisations and participate in exhibitions and seminars about social welfare matters. My Department works closely with voluntary and community organisations involved in an information giving role. A number of such organisations receive funding on an annual basis towards the cost of providing welfare rights and information services for their target groups.

Comhairle, the national information agency, comes under the aegis of my Department. It has responsibility for supporting the provision of independent information, advice and other supports to the public, including those with disabilities. Comhairle supports a network of 85 citizens' information centres whose role is to provide information to members of the public on all social services.

Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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Question 41: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the progress to date in 2005 on the introduction of a personal pension entitlement for pensioner spouses in receipt of the qualified adult allowance to be set at the level of a full non-contributory pension, as promised in the programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30851/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The Government is anxious to ensure that as many people as possible can qualify for contributory pensions in their own right and in this regard a number of measures have been introduced over the years which make it easier for people to qualify for pensions. These include the reduction in the yearly average number of contributions required for pension purposes from 20 to ten and the special half rate pension based on pre-53 insurance contributions. Pro rata pensions are also available to allow people with mixed rate insurance records to receive a payment and this is of benefit to people who may have worked in both the public and private sectors. Despite these improvements, some people cannot qualify for a pension in their own right. For this reason, the Government is committed in the programme for Government to increasing the payment for qualified adults aged 66 or over to the same level as the personal rate of the old age non-contributory pension and to facilitate the direct payment of the allowance to spouses and partners. A number of special increases have been given over several budgets in pursuit of this target, totalling €56.47 per week since April 2000. Further increases will be considered in the context of the forthcoming budget. Since October 2002, in accordance with the conclusions of a PPF working group on administrative individualisation, new pension claimants can opt to have the qualified adult allowance paid directly to their spouse or partner. This system has had only limited success in delivering personal payments to qualified adults and I am examining the administrative and legislative implications of making changes to the system to ensure that more qualified adults can receive a direct payment.