Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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43. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the steps she is taking to increase employment participation levels among those in receipt of one-parent family payments from her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37488/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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My Department has a number of supports in place to assist lone parents to obtain or retain employment.

The One-Parent Family Payment (OPFP) is a means tested payment for lone parents, under 66, whose youngest child is under seven. When the youngest child is aged between 7 and 14 a lone parent can avail of the Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment (JST) which is a means-tested payment. Where the youngest child is aged 14 or over Jobseeker’s Allowance (JA) payment may be paid to lone parents, subject to the qualifying conditions. Working Family Payment is a weekly tax-free payment for employees with children and can be paid concurrently with OPFP when people satisfy the qualifying conditions for both schemes.

Both OPFP and the JST have been designed to support a person to pursue their individual, employment goals. Customers in receipt of the OPFP or the JST can engage in education, training or employment without it affecting their payment, as long as they continue to satisfy the means test and other qualifying conditions.

These schemes include an earnings disregard whereby the first €165 of weekly earnings are not assessed as part of the means test. In addition, 50% of earnings above €165 per week are also disregarded in the means test. In April 2021, the earnings threshold of €425 per week which was being applied to persons in receipt of the One-Parent Family payment was removed.

JST recipients are exempt from the Jobseeker’s Allowance conditions that require people to be available for and genuinely seeking full-time work. They can move into education and/or employment, including into part-time employment, and still receive payment, subject to a means test. JST recipients are obliged to engage with the Department’s Intreo Employment Service. The Intreo Employment Service (ES) will work with the customer, taking their caring requirements into account, to provide information on Employment Supports and opportunities that may be suitable depending on their individual circumstances.

While OPFP recipients are not obliged to engage with Intreo ES, Intreo ES is available to them on a voluntary basis to support their progression to employment.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.