Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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137. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the steps she has taken since changes to the one-parent family payment came into effect on 2 July 2015, to ensure that persons who qualified previously or were eligible for this payment have not been negatively impacted or affected. [31092/15]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The final phase of the one-parent family payment (OFP) scheme reforms took place on 2 July 2015, when the maximum child age threshold of the scheme was reduced to 7 years. On that date, approximately 25,500 affected customers were supported by the Department to transition to a range of alternative income support payments.

In the months in advance of the implementation of the final phase of reforms to the one-parent family payment scheme, the Department contacted all affected lone parents and invited them to attend information seminars. At these seminars lone parents were advised of the best possible options available to them depending on their circumstances.

Of the affected 25,500 customers, approximately 96% transitioned to another social welfare payment, of which 13,500 transitioned to the jobseeker’s transitional payment (JST), 2,500 transitioned to the jobseeker’s allowance payment (JA), and 8,100 transitioned to the family income supplement (FIS). The 8,100 customers who transitioned to the family income supplement are also eligible for the back to work family dividend (BTWFD) and a large proportion of these customers have already availed of the dividend.

Since the changes came into effect the Department has written to affected lone parents and invited them to participate in a meeting with a case officer with a view to improving their employment prospects.