Campaign groups vow to fight one-parent family cutbacks

Lone parents are being attacked out of the blue and new social welfare rules which will see the one-parent family payment paid only up to the age of seven will be “opposed vehemently”, campaign groups say.

By 2015, all lone parents claiming the one-parent family payment will only get it for children until they are seven, down from 18 prior to 2011.

Labelled “regressive and counterproductive”, and the worst thing to ever hit lone parents, three organisations — Open, Barnardos, and the National Women’s Council of Ireland — said they will “fight” to remove the measure from the Social Welfare Bill.

From May, the age limit for getting the payment will reduce to 12, for all new claimants.

This will further reduce to age 10 in 2013, and to age seven by 2014.

The department pointed out that the reduction in age is being applied on a phased basis and will not affect existing claimants until 2013.

Frances Byrne, director of Open, which represents lone-parent groups, said the regressive move will increase poverty for lone parents and their children, who have already been hit by the cuts in Budget 2012

“Budget 2012 was a sly attack on many vulnerable groups in Ireland. The cumulative impact of the numerous stealth measures introduced is being felt across the country. It is crucial that the Social Welfare Bill does not pass quickly and silently through the Oireachtas without the proper level of debate on the impact its measures will have on real people and real lives.”

The three organisations said they would be scrutinising the Social Welfare Bill, published by Social Protection Minister Joan Burton to give effect to budget measures, for other measures that will affect the most vulnerable members of society.

However, the minister defended the changes, saying long-term welfare dependency and passive income support to people of working age were not in the best interests of the person, of their children, or of society. Ms Burton said the best route out of poverty and social exclusion is through paid employment. And parents would be supported to participate in training, education, and work once their children have reached seven years of age.

Other measures contained in the bill make provisions for recently bereaved lone parents to continue to receive the one-parent payment for a period of up to two years. Where a domiciliary care allowance is being paid in respect of a child with a disability, the payment will be made until the youngest child reaches 16.

The number of payment recipients has risen by about 25% over the past decade and stands at 90,307. The cost of the scheme is estimated to be €1.06bn in 2012.

Until 2011, the payment provided long-term income support until children were aged 18, or 22 if in full-time education, to lone parents without any requirement for them to engage in employment, education or training.