Written answers

Tuesday, 14 July 2015

Department of Social Protection

One-Parent Family Payment Scheme

Photo of Mattie McGrathMattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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149. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider introducing a six-month review of the recent changes to the one-parent family payment scheme to ensure that significant numbers of the estimated 30,000 affected families do not fall into increasing financial poverty; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28232/15]

Photo of Joan BurtonJoan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The Department monitors all the social welfare schemes that it administers including the one-parent family payment scheme.

One of the key aims of the one-parent family payment reform is to improve and enhance lone parents access to the supports and services available from the State to facilitate their progression out of welfare dependency and into sustainable employment.

As part of the one-parent family payment reforms that took place, all former one-parent family payment recipients who transition to the jobseeker’s transitional payment will receive a one to one meeting with a case officer from the Department who will assist them to produce a personal development plan and guide them towards appropriate education, training and employment opportunities. While the customer is on the jobseeker’s transitional payment this support is available and is not limited to the 12 month engagement that applies for other jobseekers from the date of their one to one meeting. The aim of this broader support is to improve the individual’s employment prospects and will be tailored to meet the person’s individual needs.

The Department will commence engaging with this cohort of customers from September of this year when the school term recommences.

Customers who transition to a jobseeker’s allowance payment will gain access to the same activation supports as are currently provided to all jobseekers.

In addition, in cases where lone parents affected by the reforms lose financially and are having difficulty increasing their hours of employment in order to be able to claim the family income supplement and the back to work family dividend, the Department will work with these customers directly to offer every possible assistance.

As I have stated previously in the Dáil, I am also looking forward to examining the various supports available to all families with children, including single parent families, in the next Budget. In particular, I will look at the scope for improvements in the child benefit scheme, as well as other supports for families in part-time or full-time employment.

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