Much greater numbers of separated parents are paying child maintenance to their former partners than was previously estimated, new figures indicate.
A Government report into child maintenance payments last year estimated that only 13 per cent of separated parents were paying maintenance, despite a legal obligation to do so.
However, deficiencies in the data available led to a more thorough investigation by the Department of Social and Family Affairs which suggests the proportion making a contribution officially or unofficially may be in excess of 40 per cent.
It also found that a further 20 per cent of parents were exempted from making payments because they were on welfare or were under 18, while 42 per cent were not traceable because their name was not on the birth cert or they were resident outside the State.
The figures are contained in an unpublished report by the department's maintenance recovery unit which has been seen by The Irish Times.
It examined more than 3,000 applications for lone parent payments last year. The files show that maintenance payments of between €5 and €500 per week were being made. The average maintenance contribution was €66 per week.
The State pays a total of some €1 billion a year in lone-parent payments and rent allowance to single parents.
The vast majority of lone parents are female (90 per cent), while a significant proportion of the remaining 10 per cent are believed to be widowers.
Liam Ó Gógáin, founder of Parental Equality, said he was not surprised that the level of payment of maintenance was higher than has previously been estimated.
However, he said many separated fathers were being encouraged to make under-the-table maintenance payments in order to prevent it affecting their former partners' welfare payments.
"Overall, our social policy is excluding fathers. The vast majority of fathers love and care for their children and will do anything they can to support them. This shows that fathers are paying. On a wider level, we need to stop excluding fathers. We need to treat people who are willing to share parenting equitably on a fairer basis by, for example, sharing child-benefit payments between the parents."
The system of welfare supports could be changed significantly under plans being finalised by Minister for Social Affairs Séamus Brennan.
The planned reforms would remove the cohabitation rule, which encourages those on lone parent's allowance to live alone.
It would also replace the allowance with a new time-limited payment for low-income families with young children.
After a child reaches a certain age - such as five years of age - parents would be required to seek training or a job. The allowance could then taper off over a period of time.
However, the final details of the proposal have yet to be publicised.
Mr Brennan says the reforms would replace poverty traps with more active supports to help lone parents take up training, education or employment opportunities. Access to affordable childcare and education and training are also due to form part of the strategy.