Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 475: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if she has carried out an evaluation of the extra household running costs incurred by widow's or widower's with young families; her proposals to address the issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40004/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

No specific research has been undertaken by the Department in relation to the cost of living for widows and widowers with children. However, those in question have benefited from a range of improvements in social welfare schemes in recent years. These include increases in child benefit and payments for qualified children, improvements in income supports at the time of a bereavement, and increases in secondary benefits such as the fuel allowance and back to school clothing and footwear allowance.

The needs of widows and widowers with young families are very much the same as those applying to lone parents. As the Deputy may be aware, 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. These included proposals for the expanded availability and range of education and training opportunities; the extension of the National Employment Action Plan; focused provision of childcare; improved information services and the introduction of a new social assistance payment for low income families with young children.

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.

This new payment is currently being developed in the Department, taking into account the various issues raised in the consultation process.

Any proposed new payment scheme can only be introduced when the necessary co-ordinated supports and services are put in place on the ground by other relevant Departments and Agencies. This is why the Senior Officials Group on Social Inclusion has been tasked with bringing forward a plan on the key issues of childcare, education, training and activation measures. Significant progress has been achieved in reducing child poverty in Ireland over the past decade and the Government is determined to continue this work, in spite of current economic difficulties. The recent Budget provided for a range of measures costing over €56 million to benefit children and families. These measures include an increase of €2 in the qualified child increase payable with social welfare payments, bringing the rate up to €26 per week from January 2009; an increase of €10 per week per child in all family income supplement income thresholds, giving an increase of up to €6 per child per week, from January 2009; and an increase of €50 per week in the income threshold for the back to school clothing and footwear scheme to enable more families to qualify.

These increases will mean that the high level goal in the National Action Plan for Social Inclusion of maintaining the combined value of child income support measures at 33% to 35% of the minimum adult social welfare payment rate will continue to be met next year (ranging between 33.4% and 43.7%).

In framing Budget 2009, the Government has prioritised delivering real increases in social welfare payments to ensure that, in line with the National Action Plan for Social Inclusion, the most vulnerable groups in our society are protected. Increases of between 3 % and 3.8 % in the basic payment rates have been provided for next year, ahead of the projected rate of inflation for 2009, which is 2.5%.