Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 402: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if the lowest social welfare payments will be increased by €17 per week; and the position regarding schemes to assist the weaker section of society. [35212/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The Government's aim is to increase the lowest rate of social welfare payments to €150, in 2002 terms, by 2007. In budget 2005, the lowest rates of payment were increased by €14 per week or by 10.4%, which represents an increase of over four times the projected rate of inflation for 2005.

Any further improvements in the lower rates of payment will fall to be considered in a budgetary context and I look forward to making further progress in this regard in Budget 2006.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 403: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of one-parent family payment claimants for which no maintenance is being paid either directly to the claimant or directly to his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35249/05]

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 404: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs further to his response to Question No. 196 of 27 October 2005, the number of one-parent family payment recipients who are in receipt of maintenance and still qualify for the maximum rate of one-parent family payment as a result of the provision allowing one-parent family claimants to retain 50% of maintenance received; the reason these claimants still qualify for the maximum rate of one-parent family payment despite receiving maintenance directly from the liable relative; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35250/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 403 and 404 together.

The one-parent family payment, OPFP, acts as a safety net for people where there is inadequate maintenance, where maintenance payments are irregular, or where efforts to secure maintenance in the first place fail. Applicants for one-parent family payment are required to make ongoing efforts to look for adequate maintenance from their former spouses, or, in the case of unmarried applicants, the other parent of their child. They must satisfy my Department that they have made reasonable attempts to obtain such maintenance. The number of one-parent family payment recipients being paid by my Department at the end of September 2005 is 79,937. Included in this figure are 906 payments to widowed persons where maintenance is not an issue. In every case where a one-parent family payment is awarded, the maintenance recovery unit of my Department seeks to trace the other parent, referred to as the liable relative, in order to ascertain whether he or she is in a financial position to contribute towards the cost of one-parent family payment. The follow-up activity takes place within two to three weeks of the award of payment.

All liable relatives assessed with maintenance liability are notified by my Department and they are issued with a determination order setting out the amount of contribution assessed. The amount assessed can be reviewed where new information comes to light about the financial or household circumstances of the liable relative. Decisions on the amounts assessed can be appealed by liable relatives to the social welfare appeals office.

In the period January 2003 to September 2005, maintenance recovery unit has examined 52,810 cases and issued determination orders to 7,697 liable relatives. Currently 2,130 liable relatives contribute directly to my Department as at the end of October 2005, the latest date for which figures are available. There has been an increase of 262 liable relatives contributing directly to my Department in 2005.

My Department's records indicate that approximately 9,600 one-parent family payment recipients are in receipt of maintenance from their spouse or other parent of their child/ren and as a result receive a reduced rate OPFP. Figures are not available for one-parent family payment recipients who receive maintenance payments and still qualify for the maximum rate of payment.

One-parent family payment claimants are allowed to retain 50% of any maintenance received without reduction in their social welfare payment. They also have a disregard of €95.23 in respect of rent or mortgage payments up to a maximum of €95.23 per week. A lone parent with a weekly rent or mortgage payment of €95.00 per week receiving weekly maintenance of €110 per week may be entitled to receive the maximum rate of one-parent family payment. However, a lone parent who does not have any mortgage or rent expenses and receives maintenance of more than €15.20 per week will only qualify for a reduced rate one-parent family payment.