Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent)
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890. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the actions she is taking to prioritise and protect supports for lone parents, having regard to the recommendations of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection’s Report on the Position of Lone Parents in Ireland in 2017; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32988/20]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Joint Oireachtas Committee’s report of 2017 on the Position of Lone Parents in Ireland (the "2017 report"), helps to inform policy in relation to child poverty and assisting lone parent households.

Social transfers are very effective in reducing poverty, and Eurostat data show that Ireland performs well in this regard. As part of Budget 2021, I increased the rates for a qualified child under 12 by €2 to €38 per week, and for qualified children of 12 or older by €5 to €45 per week (from January 2021).

However, reducing poverty for lone parents is not just about income support. The latest CSO Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) for 2018 shows that being at work reduces the consistent poverty rate for lone parents by nearly two-thirds. This highlights that the best way to tackle poverty among lone parents is to assist them into employment.

In Budget 2021 I removed the gross income limit of €425 per week from the one-parent family payment. This will enable lone parents earning over that amount to claim or retain the payment from April 2021. The one-parent family payment weekly income disregard amount remains at €165, which exceeds the €146.50 amount recommended in the 2017 report. The Working Family Payment thresholds for parents with up to 3 children will also increase by an additional €10 per week from January 2021.

The activation service provided by my Department focuses on supporting lone parents to make the transition into employment. At a cross-governmental level, the focus is on assisting these families through the provision of quality services in areas including education, training and employment supports, and childcare. All of these services are crucial to assisting lone parents into employment, and to lifting both them and their children out of poverty.

I trust that clarifies the matter for the Deputy.