Working single parents suffer as supports are cut by €30 a child

Single parents struggling to hold down a job and look after their children have been told that support payments for their children will be cut by €30 per child.

Letters were sent to single mothers and fathers in recent days warning them that child support payments for those working in community schemes will be axed on Feb 20.

Under the measures, single parents will no longer receive qualified child increases (QCIs) while working in such schemes.

The changes are part of Social Protection Minister Joan Burton’s plan to save €21m through a range of cuts to lone-parent supports this year, €14m of which will come from axing QCIs.

Notices to 4,500 lone parents of the changes were sent on Feb 2.

The cut will affect existing as well as new one-parent family claimants enrolled in community employment schemes.

The letter says: “As a result of the budget measure, your qualified child increase on the CE scheme will cease from 20th February 2012.”

This is the harshest budget cut to hit one-parent families so far.

The rate for the one-parent family payment will remain at €188 (reduced to €155.50 for some after means testing) for the adult and €29.80 per child, per week. That single parent can also continue claiming €208 per week under the community employment work scheme.

The qualified child increases of €29.80 per child, attached to the work scheme, will no longer be given out.

The overall cut for applicants may come out at slightly less after means-testing changes are applied to claims.

Support and campaign group One Family said the cuts would drive lone parents away from the workplace.

Director Karen Kiernan said: “Ultimately, the result of them getting less money will mean less opportunities to be on a work scheme. They’ve told us they won’t be able to pay for food, travel and childcare with these reduced amounts. The department is cutting people’s ability to be on a CE scheme. In our view, that’s distancing people from the labour market.”

There are 90,000 one-parent-family payment recipients in Ireland, almost half of all the number of single parents.

Ms Burton wants to stop concurrent support payments across her department and plans to save millions of euro this year through cuts related to lone parents.

Measures in January banned new single-parent applicants from double-claiming and reduced the amount parents could earn in jobs before their claims were reduced.

Ms Burton’s spokesperson last night confirmed thousands of single parents had been notified of the upcoming cuts, but said they were part of the budget measures.

Single parents have been told adjustments to their payments will take place automatically and customers do not need to contact the department.