Written answers

Wednesday, 18 January 2023

Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection

Departmental Policies

Photo of Ivana BacikIvana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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903. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will report on the implementation of the recommendations of the child maintenance review group. [1462/23]

Photo of Heather HumphreysHeather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I am very pleased to have published the Report of the Child Maintenance Review Group,  in November, together with the Minister for Justice.

The Government established a Child Maintenance Review Group in 2020 to examine a number of issues regarding child maintenance in Ireland and to prepare a report for the Minister for Social Protection on:

(i) The current treatment within the Department of Social Protection of child maintenance payments,

(ii) The current provisions relating to the liable relatives regarding child maintenance, and

(iii) The establishment of a State Child Maintenance Agency.

I am delighted that the Government accepted the Group's recommendations in relation to the social welfare system.

As a result, child maintenance payments will be disregarded in the means test for social welfare payments.  As we know, lone parents are a particularly vulnerable group.  This measure will mean that many parents currently on reduced rates of payment will see their payment increase.  It will also mean that some additional lone parents will qualify for a payment.  It is estimated that this measure will be of direct benefit to approximately 16,000 lone parents at a cost of approximately €10 million per year.

My Department is removing the "efforts to seek maintenance" requirement from One-Parent Family Payment and Jobseeker's Transitional Payment.  This requirement often involved having to go to Court to seek a maintenance order, so this change will remove a potential additional stress for lone parents and it will help to reduce the burden on our courts system. 

In addition, the liable relative provisions will be discontinued.  This means that my Department will no longer seek to recoup a portion of claim costs from the non-resident parent.  I want to be very clear that removing these provisions does not replace or supersede the primary responsibility of parents to maintain their children.

These are very significant reforms of the social welfare system which will be of great benefit to lone parents.  Introducing these changes requires amendments to both primary and secondary legislation.  The reforms will also necessitate changes to some of my Department’s systems, application forms and processes.  My officials are working on advancing these issues at present to ensure as early an implementation as possible of the reforms. 

I trust this clarifies the position.

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