Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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64. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of lone parents who are no longer eligible for the one-parent family payment and who are in receipt of the jobseeker's transition payment as a result of changes to the one-parent family payment and who are in receipt of the family income supplement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7203/16]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The final phase of the one-parent family payment age reforms was introduced on 2 July, 2015, when the age of the youngest child for receipt of this payment was reduced to 7 years of age. Approximately 25,500 customers transitioned from the one-parent family payment scheme on that day. Between July 2015 and December 2015, a further 3,000 customers transitioned from the one-parent family payment scheme, which is a cumulative total of 28,500 customers.

Of the 25,500 customers who exited the one-parent family payment on 2 July 2015, approximately 13,600 of them moved to the jobseeker’s transitional payment and 8,100 of them moved to the family income supplement.

Of the additional 3,000 customers who exited the one-parent family payment between 2 July 2015 and 31 December 2015 approximately 1,580 moved to the jobseeker’s transitional payment and 750 moved to the family income supplement when their entitlement to that payment ended.

All of the customers who moved to the family income supplement are also eligible for the back to work family dividend.

Of the 8,100 former one-parent family payment recipients who transitioned to the family income supplement on 2 July 2015, 2,400 were new family income supplement recipients. This indicates that these customers entered or increased their employment as a result of the reforms. Between July and December 2015 this figure increased to approximately 3,000 new family income supplement recipients. These new recipients are also eligible for the back to work family dividend and gain an increase in their overall income when they transition from the one-parent family payment to family income supplement and the back to work family dividend.