Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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1905. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the rate of severe material deprivation for lone parents here; the way in which this compares with the EUROSTAT average; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38571/17]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The latest Eurostat European Statistics on Income and Living Conditions data show that the severe material deprivation rate for lone parent households was 22.6% in Ireland in 2015. This is the second successive year the rate reduced – representing a 9.7 percentage point reduction on the 2013 rate of 32.3%. The Irish rate compares to the EU average of 17.1% in 2015 (see Table 1).

The full impact of the recovery is not reflected in these figures, which relate to 2015. Macro-economic and labour market indicators have shown continued economic and employment growth since then. Unemployment has fallen from 9.4% in mid-2015 to 6.3% now. The number of people in receipt of working-age income and employment supports has also continued to fall.

With these improvements, the Government was in a position to introduce a range of welfare increases from 2016 onwards. This includes a package of measures to support lone parents, encouraging them into the workplace and into education and helping to reduce their childcare costs. In Budget 2017 all lone parents on the one-parent family payment, the jobseeker’s transitional payment and jobseeker’s allowance have benefited from the €5 increase in the weekly rates of payment from March. A new €500 annual Cost of Education Allowance will be made available to Back to Education Allowance participants with children from the academic year starting this September. In addition, the income disregards for the one-parent family payment and the jobseeker’s transitional payment increased by €20 from January, from €90 to €110 per week, reversing in part previous reductions, to encourage one parent families to stay in, and return to, work.

The Department of Social Protection’s social impact assessment of Budget 2017 showed that average household incomes increase by 1%. Non-earning lone parents were the biggest beneficiary of Budget 2017 with gains of 4.5%. Working lone parents also experienced above average gains at almost 1.2%.

The improvement in the economy, together with the welfare measures referred to, are likely to have supported a further reduction in severe material deprivation in the period since 2015. This improvement is expected to continue with further rises in incomes and living standards.

Table 1: Severe Material Deprivation rate in lone parent households 2010 to 2015

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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1906. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the rate of severe material deprivation for those not at work due to an illness or disability; the way in which this compares with the EUROSTAT average; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38572/17]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Eurostat does not report on consistent poverty, at-risk-of-poverty or basic deprivation measures based on the principal economic status “unable to work due to disability or illness”. However, in the European Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC), disability is based on the concept of global activity limitation. This is defined as a “limitation in activities people usually do because of health problems for at least the past six months” but it does not differentiate between those in employment and those not in employment.

The latest EU-SILC data available shows that the severe material deprivation rate for people (aged 16 years and over) who are limited in their normal activities due to a health problem was 14.9% in Ireland in 2015, as compared to the EU average of 11.3%.

The full impact of the recovery is not reflected in these figures, which relate to 2015. Macro-economic and labour market indicators have shown continued economic and employment growth since then. Unemployment has fallen from 9.4% in mid-2015 to 6.3% now. The number of people in receipt of working-age income and employment supports has also continued to fall.

With these improvements, the Government has been in a position to introduce a range of welfare increases from 2016 onwards. This includes a package of measures to support the employment opportunities for people with a disability.

My Department provides a range of specific income, activation and employment supports for people with a disability. The Comprehensive Employment Strategy for people with disabilities adopts a cross-government approach that brings together various measures, to be taken by different Departments and State agencies, in a concerted effort to address the barriers and challenges that impact on the employment of people with disabilities. These priorities are incorporated into the Pathways to Work Strategy and this ensures that there is an integrated focus on supports that enable people with disabilities to participate in employment where they have the capacity to do so.

The partial capacity benefit scheme enables recipients of invalidity pension and illness benefit to take-up employment, on a voluntary basis, while continuing to receive income support. The Department manages a supported employment service (EmployAbility) which provides a dedicated job-coaching service for people with disabilities. Intreo services are also available to provide employment support services for people with disabilities who wish to engage with the service on a voluntary basis. There is also a focus on supports available to employers who employ people with disabilities such as the Wage Subsidy Scheme and the Workplace Equipment Adaption Grant Scheme.

The Department of Social Protection’s social impact assessment of Budget 2017 showed that average household incomes increase by 1%.

The improvement in the economy, together with the welfare measures referred to, are likely to have supported a further reduction in severe material deprivation in the period since 2015, including for people with disabilities. This improvement is expected to continue with further forecast rises in employment, incomes and living standards.