John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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61. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she has satisfied herself that lone parents are being forced through rigorous court proceedings in order to seek child maintenance from an ex-partner; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50582/17]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Matters relating to maintenance are for the Department of Justice and Equality and for the Family Courts.The Family Law (Maintenance of Spouses and Children) Act 1976 provides that spouses/civil partners and unmarried parents are required to maintain each other according to their means and needs. Parents, whether married or not, are responsible for the maintenance of their dependent children. Part 12 of the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act 2005, as amended, reinforces these civil provisions. In cases where the family unit has broken down, these obligations continue to apply and relevant maintenance payments can be arranged either directly or through the Department of Justice and Equality supports like the Family Mediation Service, the Legal Aid Board and the Courts. The arrangement of maintenance is therefore a matter between both parents regardless of whether or not either parent is in receipt of a social welfare payment.

I have no information that suggests that lone parents are being forced through rigorous court proceedings to seek child maintenance.