One-parent payments - Change must do no harm

Under the new Social Welfare and Pensions Bill, lone parents will eventually only receive the one-parent family payment until their child is up to the maximum age of seven years old.

These new social welfare rules, which are to be phased in, have been criticised as “regressive and counterproductive” by Barnardos, the National Women’s Council of Ireland, and Open, which represents lone parent groups.

In Apr 2011 the eligibility for parents applying for the payment was cut from those with a child under 18 years of age to those with a child under 14. Next month this is being reduced to those with a child up to 12. This will be further reduced to 10 years of age next year, and only a parent of children up to seven years of age will be eligible by 2014.