Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 64: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the position regarding the new proposals for lone parents. [15245/07]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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Question 73: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the position regarding the implementation of policy actions on foot of the Government's Lone Parents Proposals paper published over a year ago. [15330/07]

Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 84: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if lone parents are included in the National Employment Action Plan; if not, when they will be included; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15301/07]

Gay Mitchell (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 97: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs further to Parliamentary Question No. 617 of 20 March 2007, the progress the senior officials group on social inclusion has made in relation to the implementation plan of non-income recommendations of the lone parent proposals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15299/07]

Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 103: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs further to Parliamentary Question No. 617 of 20 March 2007, the progress that has been made in developing legislation to introduce a new payment scheme under the lone parent proposals; when he expects to publish same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15300/07]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 64, 73, 84, 97 and 103 together.

The Government discussion paper, "Proposals for Supporting Lone Parents," put forward proposals for 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 social assistance payment for low income families with young children. The paper also proposed the abolition of the cohabitation rule as a condition for receipt of the proposed social assistance payment.

The social partners agreed under Towards 2016 that extending the National Employment Action Plan referral process to other groups such as lone parents and persons with disabilities with due regard to the need of those groups will be considered as a priority over a three year period. The management of the National Employment Action Plan rests with a tripartite committee comprising the Departments of Social and Family Affairs, Enterprise, Trade and Employment and FAS and the implications of extending it to other groups is under consideration by this committee at present.

The new social assistance payment, under development in my Department, will have the long-term aim of assisting people to achieve financial independence through supporting them to enter employment — the avenue that is widely agreed to offer the best route out of poverty.

Any proposed new payment can only be introduced when the necessary co-ordinated supports and services are put in place by other Departments and Agencies.

This is why the Government has instructed the Senior Officials Group on Social Inclusion to draw up an implementation plan to progress the non-income recommendations in tandem with the development of the legislation required in my Department to introduce a new payment scheme.

Work on the development of this implementation plan is continuing. Issues including access to childcare support, education, training and activation measures continue to be discussed with the relevant Departments and Agencies.

To develop the process further, my Department, with the co-operation of FAS, the Office of the Minister for Children and the Department of Education and Science, are to test the proposals in both an urban and rural setting. These tests will focus on identifying and resolving the practical and administrative issues that may arise in advance of the scheme being introduced. This will allow for operational and logistical co-ordination between the relevant departments and agencies to be considered and will facilitate the development of the new scheme.