Social Protection Committee to discuss Lone Parents with Department

Committee Chairman John Curran said: “As part of our work programme, the Committee prioritised a number of key areas for consideration, including pensions, lone parents and labour activation measures. Our meeting tomorrow will focus on lone parents when we will have a detailed discussion on the issue with officials from the Department of Social Protection. Figures from 2011 showed that nearly one in four children live in a single-parent household. The area of benefits for lone parents can be complicated in terms of payments for which they can qualify. The One-Parent Family Payment is a payment for men and women under 66 who are bringing children up without the support of a partner. However, if a person is receiving the one-parent family payment, they may also qualify for other benefits, such as a medical card or fuel allowance. Tomorrow we will get an update on the key priorities for the Department in this area, while Members will have an opportunity to raise any issues they may have in relation to supports for lone parents.”

This Committee will meet at 10.30am in Committee Room 4 tomorrow, Thursday, 6th October, with the engagement with Department officials starting at 11am

Committee proceedings can be viewed live here.

Committee proceedings can also be viewed on the move, through the Houses of the Oireachtas Smartphone App, available for Apple and Android devices.

ENDS/