Mark Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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1874. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the cost to extend the JST to one-parent families in work, training or education; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44035/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Customers in receipt of the Jobseekers Transitional Payment can engage in education, training or employment without it affecting their payment, as long as they continue to satisfy the means test, subject to an earnings disregard.

Recipients of the payment are supported by the Department to enter or return to employment and/or to undertake educational and training programmes, through the services and supports provided by the Department's Intreo service, including the Back to Education Allowance.

Where a customer on the payment enters employment, or has other means, an earnings disregard of €165 per week is applied; in addition, 50% of earnings above this figure is also disregarded in the assessment of means.

The Department provides several options for income support to lone parents once their entitlement to the Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment ceases, including Jobseeker’s Allowance, which may be paid to lone parents where the youngest child is aged 14 or over. The Working Family Payment is also available to lone parents who are working at least 38 hours per fortnight. Lone parents who transfer to the Working Family Payment may also apply for the Back to Work Family Dividend.

Mark Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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1875. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost to extend the entitlement to the living alone allowance and household benefits package to one-parent families; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44036/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The estimated cost of the provision of the Living Alone Increase at the current rate of €22 per week to all those in receipt of One Parent Family Payment (OPFP) would be as follows:

The Household Benefits Package comprises the electricity or gas allowance, and the free television licence. The Department of Social Protection will spend approximately €308 million this year on the Household Benefits Package.

It is estimated that 20% of those in receipt of the One Parent Family Payment are also in receipt of Carers Allowance and therefore already have access to the Household Benefits Package. Therefore, it is estimated that 34,658 persons in receipt of the One Parent Family Payment would benefit from the measure. The estimate cost of the measure is as follows:

This costing is based on the estimated average number of recipients in June 2025, and is subject to change in light of emerging trends and subsequent revision of the estimated number of recipients.

The provision of any additional supports such as increasing the weekly rate of Fuel Allowance would have cost implications and could only be considered while taking account of the overall budgetary context and the availability of financial resources.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.