The Government is to make changes to the one-parent family payment so that parents of children over the age of 13 will no longer receive it.
Under the Social Welfare Bill published today, there will also be changes to disqualify people from collecting Jobseeker’s Allowance if they refuse an offer of “suitable employment”.
Reduced rates of Jobseeker’s Allowance or Supplementary Welfare Allowance will be paid to claimants who refuse to participate in “an appropriate course of training “or to participate in a programme under the National Employment Action Plan.
Currently the Department’s One-Parent Family Payment is payable until the youngest child reaches 18 or 22 if in full-time education, where means and other conditions are met.
The Government said the changes would bring Ireland’s support for lone parents more in line with international provisions, where there is “a general movement away from long term and passive income support”.
“The EU countries that are achieving the best outcomes in terms of tackling child poverty are those that are combining strategies aimed at facilitating access to employment and enabling services (e.g. child care) with income support,” a statement said.
The Bill will be debated in both Houses of the Oireachtas in June and early July.