Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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138. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she has considered whether a maintenance recovery unit could remove the need for repeated Family Court hearings and ensure that social welfare evaluation of the means of single parents would be more fairly assessed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18579/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Under existing Family Law legislation, parents, certain categories of guardian or those acting in the place of parents, who may be liable under the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015 are obliged to maintain their children. In cases where the family unit has broken down these obligations continue to apply. Child maintenance arrangements can be agreed directly between the parties themselves, or with the assistance of their solicitors, private mediators or supports such as the Family Mediation Service and the Legal Aid Board, or ultimately through the Courts.

The Programme for Government commits the Government to act to reform our child maintenance system and in line with this commitment, we established a Child Maintenance Review Group to examine certain issues in relation to child maintenance in Ireland. The Group is chaired by former Circuit Court Judge Catherine Murphy and includes legal, policy and academic professionals as well as officials from my Department and the Department of Justice.

The Group's Terms of Reference are to consider and make recommendations on:

(i) the current treatment of child maintenance payments in my Department;

(ii) the current provisions regarding liable relatives managed by my Department; and

(iii) the establishment of a Child Maintenance Agency in Ireland.

These Terms of Reference encompass an examination of the treatment of child maintenance payments in the means tests for social welfare payments.

The work of the Group is well underway. A consultation process to facilitate feedback from stakeholder groups and members of the public in order to inform the Group's work was undertaken last year.

I have been advised by the Chair that the Group's report is expected to be submitted to me before Easter. I look forward to considering its conclusions and recommendations.

I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.