I move amendment No. 4: In page 4, between lines 28 and 29, to insert the following: “Report on extending availability of full Parent’s Benefit to Lone Parents 9. The Minister shall prepare and lay a report before the Houses of the Oireachtas on extending the availability of the full duration of Parent’s Benefit to lone parents to examine the effect that enabling all children to equally avail of the full duration of this Benefit would have and the report shall be presented to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Socia…

I will withdraw the amendment on the basis that the report is being done. I understand the issues around having both parents and equality and all of that. It is not fair on children who have just one parent, however. A child with two parents will have 14 weeks whereas a child with one parent will have only seven weeks. It is not fair on a child who for whatever reason has one parent, even if, God forbid, the other parent is deceased. That is not fair on the child. Given that the report is being done, however, I wil…

I move amendment No. 9: In page 8, after line 32, to insert the following: “Report on rates based on Minimum Essential Standard of Living (MESL) 16. The Minister shall carry out a review on introducing social welfare rates which are benchmarked to the Minimum Essential Standard of Living (MESL) to study the effect that adequacy of social welfare rates could have on addressing poverty levels and the report shall be presented to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Social Protection ahead of Budget 2024.”. In light of w…

I move amendment No. 10: In page 8, after line 32, to insert the following: “Report on the means-testing for Blind Pension and Disability Allowance 16. The Minister shall prepare and lay a report before the Houses of the Oireachtas on the means-testing eligibility requirement for Blind Pension and Disability Allowance and the impact that income threshold limitations have on access to these schemes and the report shall be presented to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Social Protection within 9 months of the enactme…

I move amendment No. 11: In page 8, after line 32, to insert the following: “Report on assessment of self-employed people in receipt of Blind Pension and Disability Allowance 16. The Minister shall review the way in which self-employed people including artists and people employed in creative industries are assessed regarding Blind Pension and Disability Allowance and the impact that income threshold limitations and assessment of grants and awards have on these payments for those workers and the report shall be pres…

I move amendment No. 12: In page 8, after line 32, to insert the following: “Report on extending the provision of Disability Allowance to agents in the case of the bereavement of a child 16. The Minister shall review the rule regarding the continuation of Disability Allowance payment where a person is the collecting agent for their child who passes away and prepare a report on extending payment of the payment for six weeks in these circumstances in line with the provision made for payments such as Domiciliary Care …

In that case, I will withdraw the amendment.

I move amendment No. 13: "In page 9, between lines 5 and 6, to insert the following: “Report on including apprenticeships as education for social welfare payments 17. The Minister shall prepare and lay a report before the Houses of the Oireachtas reviewing the inclusion of apprenticeships in the definition of “full-time education” and with regard to how this is approached in determining eligibility for Social Protection payments and the report shall be presented to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Social Protectio…

I had initially raised this issue with the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science because I had presumed, like the Minister opposite, that it was a matter for him. However, the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science redirected me to the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, because of the impact it would have on social welfare supports. I understand that there can be some income supports when one is on an apprenticeship. The Minister cited the one-pare…

However, take for example, an 18 year old who is leaving secondary school and who is going on to do an apprenticeship. I do not think that there is any financial support or an income that they can access. I do not think that there many people on the guardian's payment. They are looking after a child. I believe that because of that it should be looked at. The Minister has agreed to do that, which I welcome. In that case, I will withdraw the amendment. I thank the Minister for agreeing to look at the guardian's payme…

Will the Minister provide an update on the processing of applications for additional needs payments? They are obviously critical in the winter period for those families and workers who will need support so it is really important that this payments system is working efficiently, effectively and in a timely manner. Will the Minister please give us an update in that regard?

I thank the Minister for her response. It is always welcome to see the number of applications approved and being paid out rising. That means that people are seeking support and getting it, which is important. Can the Minister give us any information on the number of applications refused? I had asked that in a parliamentary question but all I got back was the number approved. It is important that we have those data. Data on exceptional needs and urgent needs payments refusals were not previously collected but then s…

It is important that the online provision is put up as quickly as possible. I had asked the Minister about it just before the summer recess. Perhaps she will also give us an update on that. It will be helpful for those people who can apply online. At least then they can give all of the information before they submit the application at all. That should help to move things along in a timely manner. I take nothing away from CWOs; they do a wonderful job. The problem is that they are not in the community the way they u…

Will the Minister provide an update on the intended reforms that I understand will be brought forward via legislation, I hope in the new year, in respect of the recommendations made by the child maintenance review group in its recently published report? Can the Minister give us a rough timeline for that legislation? Lone parents have waited a long time. These are really important reforms and we really want to see this legislation move as quickly as possible.

I too welcome the publication of the report and commend everybody involved in the group. It is a really important piece of work. However, the cost of removing child maintenance payments from the means test will be €10 million, which is small money, considering the budget of the Department of Social Protection. It is so regrettable we needed this group and this report in the first place. It is fair enough to have a report looking at the possibility of establishing an agency, but it should never, ever have been the c…

That is welcome. As I said before, I do not believe that courts are the place for this to be sorted out and determined. We need to keep a really close eye on whatever reforms in respect of the courts come in the new year and into 2023 to make sure they improve the situation. It has been a nightmare and, in some cases, an absolute ordeal for a great many lone parents for many years now, and they deserve an awful lot better. The child maintenance review group said we need urgent and radical reform, so it is really im…

Exactly. These are the two Departments that really need to move on this issue.

I seek an update on the cost of disability. I understand that the straw man work is under way. Will the Minister give us an update on that?

It is important that there be engagement with those organisations on the ground and the report has disabled people to the fore. Can the Minister give us any additional information on the straw man proposal and on whether there is a timeline for that? It is so important. The cost of disability report was published nearly a year ago. It is not the first report to say that a cost of disability payment needs to be introduced. I understand the lump sum payments will make some difference but they relate to the cost of li…

When the Minister says “reform of disability payments”, what payments is she including in that? Does it include, for example, the blind pension or the invalidity pension? The publication of the straw man proposal is welcome and important. She said it would happen "shortly." I love the word "shortly". Does that mean this side of 2023 or are we talking about the new year? There is clearly an issue for people who rely on payments such as disability allowance. The latest data on poverty and deprivation published survey…