Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 41: To ask the Minister for Social Protection his views on the assessment of the One Family organisation that the cuts he proposes making to the one parent family payment scheme will worsen the poverty traps experienced by lone parents; and if he will accordingly withdraw the Bill. [27966/10]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Despite significant State spending on one-parent families the results have been poor in terms of tackling poverty and social exclusion and encouraging economic independence. Social welfare supports for lone parents should be designed to prevent long-term dependence on welfare and facilitate financial independence. The changes to the One-Parent Family Payment that are outlined in the Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill, 2010, will help the Government to meet this social policy objective.

In their submission on the Bill, One Family, refer to issues in relation to rent supplement, to the supports that are required to move lone parents into employment and the issue that jobseeker's allowance is less conducive to combining a welfare payment and part-time work.

The rent supplement assessment provides for a gradual withdrawal of payment as hours of employment or earnings increase. Also, a person on rent supplement who is deemed by a local authority to be eligible to participate in the rental accommodation scheme may engage in full-time employment, subject to satisfying the standard means-test, and may still be paid rent supplement. In relation to childcare, the Government have made a major investment over the last decade in developing a childcare infrastructure which has resulted in some 65,000 childcare places in place this year.

There is a wide range of education and training opportunities available through my Department, the Department of Education and Skills and FÁS for lone parents to strengthen their qualifications and skills base and to thus maximize their chances of meeting the requirements of the modern labour market and gaining employment.

Lone parents will be supported to participate in education and training by the new Childcare Education and Training Scheme which will provide free childcare for those attending FÁS and VEC courses. Where a lone parent wishes to combine part-time work and still receive a welfare payment the family income supplement is available.

The proposed reform of the One-Parent Family Payment recognises that work, especially full-time work may not be an option for lone parents of young children. However, we believe that supporting parents to participate in education, training and the labour market, once their children have reached an appropriate age, will improve both their own economic situation and the social well being of themselves and their families.