Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 1347: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if she will report on the pilot scheme currently operating for lone parents including any evaluation carried out into the project; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30888/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Government discussion paper, Proposals for Supporting Lone Parents, put forward proposals to tackle obstacles to employment for lone parents and other low income families. Under the proposals the lone parenthood category of payment would no longer exist. Instead, a new payment would be made to all parents (living alone or with a partner), with young children, on low income.

The non-income recommendations contained in the discussion paper were examined in two areas: Coolock and Kilkenny. These studies, which took place between November 2007 and February 2008, were carried out to facilitate the development of the policy and operational details of the new scheme. They have highlighted how lone parents are not a homogenous group, are of different ages, have experienced different routes into lone parenthood and have different needs.

The experience of this engagement process is feeding into the development of our approach to working with lone parents and qualified adults to support them into education, training and employment. Work is also ongoing in addressing possible poverty traps in the new income support scheme.