Patrick Nulty (Dublin West, Independent)
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81. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will give consideration to the ten solutions for smarter futures as put forward by the One Family campaign group; her response to the proposals; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52208/13]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The Government is committed to supporting one-parent families to become economically independent. My Department is in the process of reforming the one-parent family payment (OFP) scheme. These reforms are predicated on activation and on getting people back into the workforce once their children have reached an appropriate age.A wide range of supports and services are presently available to lone parents who are clients of the Department and who pro-actively engage with the Department’s activation process. As part of the supports that are available to lone parents, my Department has provided funding to One Family for its ‘New Futures’ programme for the 2011-2012 period. In 2012, One Family obtained further funding from my Department for its ‘New Futures – Securing A Career’ programme for the 2012-2013 period. The recently introduced jobseeker’s allowance (JA) transitional arrangement caters for OFP recipients who lose their entitlement to the OFP payment from July, 2013, onwards, who have a youngest child aged under 14 years, and who are entitled to the jobseeker’s allowance (JA) payment. These customers are exempt from the JA conditionality that requires them to be available for, and genuinely seeking, full-time work. They are also exempt from having to prove unemployment and can work part-time without restrictions and still receive the JA transitional arrangement payment – subject to a means test. The exemptions from the full JA conditionality will remain in place until a recipient’s youngest child reaches the age of 14 years. At this point, should they continue to claim the JA payment, they will be subjected to the full JA conditionality.

Recipients of either the JA payment or the JA transitional arrangement payment may qualify for other social welfare income support benefits at the same time as their primary payment. They can also avail of a wide range of education, training, and employment supports, and are entitled to apply, subject to qualifying conditions, for subsidised child care through both the community childcare subvention (CCS) programme and the child care education and training support (CETS) scheme that are administered by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs (D/CYA). In addition, they can apply for the after-school child care scheme in the event that they take up employment, increase their days of employment, or commence certain employment programmes. This scheme, which was announced in Budget 2013, and which is also funded by the D/CYA but jointly administered by my Department and the D/CYA, will continue to provide subsidised after-school child care places into 2014.

I have also secured the agreement of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs on a new strand of child care support for customers of the Department, including lone parents, who are participating in the community employment (CE) scheme. This new child care support will be provided via the CETS scheme.

Lone parents can also qualify for the family income supplement (FIS). FIS is an income support payment for families on low income that incentivises them to retain or increase their hours of employment.