'Alarming' figures show 15% of people in receipt of lone-parent payments were underpaid

Sinn Féin’s social protection spokesperson Louise O'Reilly has called for clarity on how people are to be repaid money they are due, saying single-parent families are more likely to struggle financially. Picture: Leah Farrell/ RollingNews.ie

Some 15% of people in receipt of lone parents’ payment in the last 10 years were underpaid, new information provided to the Dáil Public Accounts Committee has confirmed.

Sinn Féin’s social protection spokesperson Louise O'Reilly has now called for clarity on how people are to be repaid money they are due, saying single-parent families are more likely to struggle financially.

The Department of Social Protection sent the information to the Dáil’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) following its appearance in front of TDs in December.

The documents include estimates of how many people are receiving underpaid social welfare payments.

The most common underpayment was the One-Parent Family Payment, with 15.5% of recipients not receiving their full payments over the last decade.

The department confirmed to the Irish Examiner that 43,195 people were in receipt of the One-Parent Family Payment as of the end of December.

The payment is means-tested, with the first €165 of a person’s weekly earnings not considered when it is being calculated.

The maximum weekly rate is €254, with allowances paid for other children. However, the youngest child in the family must be under the age of seven for the parent to qualify for the scheme.

In the information booklet provided to PAC, the department noted “underpayments occur most commonly in means-tested schemes mainly due to customers failing to advise us of changes in their circumstances”.

“The measurement of underpayment includes incidences where there was an entitlement to an existing additional supplementary allowance, such as fuel allowance or an increase for a qualified adult, which was not being claimed,” they added.

However, Ms O’Reilly told the Irish Examiner social protection minister Dara Calleary must investigate the figures.

“These figures are alarming. Minister Calleary must investigate this as a matter of urgency,” she said.

"We need to see transparency from the department as regards procedures for repaying this money and a clear timeline as to when single parents can expect to see it.

The department has known for years that single-parent families are one of the groups most at risk of poverty. In fact, half of all single-parent households are in poverty.

“Last summer, Barnardos published survey data showing lone parents are far more likely to report having gone without food, or cut back on essential items.

The Department of Social Protection also confirmed that for 6.3% of those in receipt of the non-contributory State pension and 4.5% of those in receipt of the contributory State pension, underpayments were also detected in control surveys over the last decade.

Some 4.1% of jobseeker’s allowance recipients and 3.5% of disability allowance recipients also experienced underpayments.

Separately, the Department of Social Protection also confirmed to PAC there were 24 outstanding circuit court cases brought by members of the public arising from the Public Service Card or the retention of biometric data.