Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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My department is responsible for the administration and payment of a range of supports to assist an eligible person who is parenting alone including the One-Parent Family Payment and Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment.

One-Parent Family Payment (OPFP) is a payment for parents under 66 years who are parenting without the support of a partner and whose youngest child is under 7 years of age.

Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment (JST) is a is a special arrangement under the Jobseeker’s Allowance scheme which a person may qualify for if they do not live with a spouse, civil partner or cohabitant and their youngest child is between 7 and 14 years old.

The Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) scheme which is the safety net within the overall social welfare system, helps eligible people in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs and those of their dependents. Supports provided under the SWA scheme can consist of a basic weekly payment, a weekly or monthly supplement in respect of certain expenses, as well as single Additional Needs Payments (ANPs). The basic SWA provides immediate assistance for those in need who are awaiting the outcome of a claim or an appeal for a primary social welfare payment or do not qualify for payment under other State schemes.

When the person concerned returns to Ireland they should contact their local Intreo Centre or Social Welfare Branch Office gov - Intreo centres and local branch offices (www.gov.ie) www.gov.ie/en/directory/category/e1f4b5-intreo-offices/?referrer=https://www.gov.ie/en/service/40cf48-find-your-local-intreo-office/ to make an application appropriate to their circumstances. It should be noted amongst other qualifying conditions for the schemes listed above the person must satisfy the Habitual Residence Condition.

Personal Public Service (PPS) Numbers for children living in, but not born in the Republic of Ireland, must be applied for by the parent or guardian. The person concerned should complete a REG1M application form, available at gov - Personal Public Service (PPS) Number (for a child aged under 18) Application Form (REGM1) (www.gov.ie) www.gov.ie/en/form/8f64b-personal-public-service-number-for-child-aged-under-18-application-form-regm1/ for a PPS Number for their child, and provide evidence of:

• their own identity
• the identity of the child
• evidence of address
• why a PPS Number is needed
• the relationship between the parent/guardian and the child

The person can submit the completed PPS Number application for the child to their nearest PPS Number centre, details at . www.gov.ie/en/publication/f3690a-personal-public-service-pps-number-allocation-centres-by-county/. If the person returns to live in County Kildare, they can submit their child’s PPS Number application either by post to the Newbridge Intreo Centre, Moorefield Road, Newbridge, Co. Kildare or by email to newbridge@welfare.ie.

After they have submitted the application, and once everything is in order, my department will issue details of the PPS Number by post.

Eligibility criteria for all schemes and application forms can be found at www.gov.ie. If the person has any queries regarding the schemes available to them, they can also call the National Intreo Contact Centre, by freephone on 0818 405060 for further information.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.