Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 18: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs his Department's input in the action plan for lone parents being developed by FÁS (details supplied); if same has been completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17675/06]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

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 in 2004 to examine this issue and report back to the Cabinet Committee on Social Inclusion with specific proposals. A sub-group of the Senior Officials Group examined obstacles to employment for lone parent families, with particular emphasis on income supports, employment, education, childcare and support programmes and information.

As part of this process, a working group established in my Department reviewed the income support arrangements for lone parents, looking at issues including the contingency basis of the one parent family payment, cohabitation and the fact that the payment can act as a disincentive to the formation of partnerships and discourage joint parenting.

As a result of this process which included consultation with the social partners, I recently launched a major Government discussion paper, "Proposals for Supporting Lone Parents" which addresses the social exclusion and risk of poverty faced by many such families and their children. The report puts forward radical proposals for reform of the income support system for all parents on a low income. The report proposes the expanded availability and range of education and training opportunities for lone parents, the extension of the National Employment Action Plan to focus on lone parents, focused provision of childcare, improved information services for lone parents and the introduction of a new Parental Allowance for low income families with young children.

Since 1993 the Department has been supporting the return or entry of long term unemployed people and other long term social welfare recipients into the labour force through the employment supports schemes. The introduction of the Employment Action Plan in 1998 also facilitated greater support to those unemployed in terms of joining or rejoining the labour market.

Relationships with FÁS have been developed significantly since the introduction of the Plan and a Memorandum of Understanding in 2004 has facilitated even further improvement in those relationships at the regional and local levels. While acknowledging that there is scope for even more enhanced co-operation it is clear that existing arrangements assist in bringing greater focus to DSFA customer needs, particularly unemployed claimants. At present Department officials are examining the recommendations of an independent review of the Plan which recommends inter alia the expansion of it to other welfare groups including lone parents.

The Government has asked the Senior Officials Group on Social Inclusion to draw up an implementation plan to progress the non-income recommendations of the discussion paper, including those related to childcare, education, training and activation measures and work on this has already commenced in consultation with the Departments and agencies concerned. FÁS are working with the Senior Officials Group on Social Inclusion to progress the recommendations of the proposal which fall within their remit. I have asked that my Department provide FÁS with details of the geographical location of recipients of the one parent family payment to help them in their work. My Department will work with FÁS to assist in the development of an integrated activation plan for lone parents.