Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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24. To ask the Minister for Social Protection her views that, in view of the housing crisis and the spiralling rents in many parts of Dublin, she should postpone the planned changes to the one-parent family payment scheme and engage further with concerned groups representing parents, many of whom are facing poverty in the wake of these changes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24834/15]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Despite considerable investment, the one-parent family payment scheme has not succeeded in preventing lone parents from being significantly more at risk of consistent poverty than the population as a whole. The reforms seek to address the long-term social welfare dependency and poverty experienced by many lone parents by providing them with improved access to the Department’s range of education, training, and employment supports. Access to these services and supports is imperative for lone parents, in order to ensure that their prospects of securing employment and financial independence are improved. Any reversal of these reforms would delay this critical interaction between lone parents and the Department’s Intreo services and would potentially increase the barriers they face to entering employment in the future.

I therefore have no plans to reverse the forthcoming changes to the one parent family payment.

The primary responsibility for provision of accommodation for homeless persons rests with local authorities.

However, in response to the supply difficulties, the Department has put in place preventative measures to ensure that people at risk of homelessness or loss of their tenancy are supported under the rent supplement scheme where increased rental payments are required.

These measures allow for flexibility in assessing customers’ individual accommodation needs through the National Tenancy Sustainment Framework on a case by case basis. Staff in the Community Welfare Service of the Department have a statutory discretionary power to award or increase a supplement for rental purposes, for example, when dealing with applicants who are in danger of homelessness.