Budget Effects on Lone Parents

BUDGET EFFECTS

1. Reduction in income disregard from €146.50 to €130 with plans 
to lower this to €60 by 2016. No acknowledgment of childcare costs 
involved in a single parent working. 

2. Reduction in entitlement age to age 7 of youngest child. No 
allowance made for childcare costs of school-age children. If parents 
can't fund full-time childcare costs, they are confined to remain 
solely on welfare with no option to find part-time, child- friendly 
jobs. 

3. CE schemes are now effectively closed to lone parents, 
hindering training to those trying to get back to work. The withdrawal 
of the double payment means that single parents will have to fund 
childcare and travel expenses from €20 per week. They will be forced 
to remain in the home while children are under 7 and then forced to 
compete in an increasingly competitive job market. 

4. University contributions were increased and grants cut, 
affecting both lone parents currently in 3rd level and those wishing 
to improve their prospects through education, as well as lone parents' 
ability to pay for their children's 3rd level education. 

5. The Back to School Clothing and Footware Allowance has been 
reduced by €50 for primary school and €55 for secondary school 
children. This will have a greater impact on one-parent families than 
any other group in Ireland. 

6. School transport contributions have increased which means 
additional cost for lone parents where school transport is available. 

7. The new Household Charge applies to home-owning lone parents 
irrespective of whether relying on a primary welfare benefit (affects 
those mortgaged but not in receipt of mortgage supplement - many lone 
parents aren't receiving this supplement or aren't eligible). 

8. The Fuel Allowance has been reduced by 6 weeks pa, resulting 
in a €120pa reduction. 

9. Childcare: subvention rates to community crèches have been 
cut by 5%, while affordable childcare and afterschool provision is 
lacking, childcare costs in Ireland are among the highest in Europe. 
Only private and thus expensive childcare seems to be available for 
secondary school children. 

10. A dependent wife is entitled to €124pw - a dependent child only 
receives €29.80pw. We question the reasoning behind this considering 
growing children have a variety of needs but cannot contribute 
financially. 

11. Similarly, a 25-year-old living at home on JSA receives €188pw 
whereas a dependent child only receives €29.80pw. 

12. The JobsBridge programme is not open to lone parents. The same is 
true for the new access courses as no childcare allowances are 
provided and lone parents are discouraged from participating. 

13. Single parents must now pay €25 a week towards childcare when 
participating in FÁS or similar courses. 

14. The €6 a week increase in rent contributions is a thinly veiled 
cut to the base rate of social welfare despite repeated promises that 
this would not happen at a time when the cost of living is increasing. 
This measure will cause serious hardship to single parents and their 
children. 

15. Maximum rent levels at which rent supplement can be claimed have 
been cut unevenly and often far to drastically around the county (e.g. 
a family with 2 children is cut by €230pm in Wicklow and €0 in Louth). 
Single parents are particularly vulnerable to becoming homeless if 
they cannot renegotiate rent and supplement is withdrawn. 

16. The temporary payment of half of the rate of One-Parent Family 
Payment where the recipient's earnings exceed €425 per week will be 
discontinued. Existing recipients of the temporary payment will not be 
affected. 

17. Currenty people getting One-Parent Family Payment can get 
half-rate Jobseeker’s Benefit, Illness Benefit or Incapacity 
Supplement if they satisfy the qualifying conditions. These half-rate 
payments will cease for applicants for Jobseeker’s Benefit, Illness 
Benefit and Incapacity Supplement. 

18. For new and existing claimants, income from employment as a home 
help funded by the HSE will be assessed in means tests for social 
assistance schemes including the One Parent Family Payment, from 1 
January 2012. 

19. If a person is on a Community Employment Scheme and One-Parent 
Family Payment, Deserted Wife’s Allowance or Benefit or a widow's, 
widower's or surviving civil partner's pension, payment of the 2nd 
qualified child increases will cease for both new and existing 
recipients from 16 January 2012. In other words anyone with a child on 
the CE Scheme will be down an average €60 per week from 16th January. 

20. If you are widowed and you don't have enough contributions you 
have to go on OPFP if your youngest is under 7, but are only allowed 
only 2yrs on OPFP if your youngest is over 7.

21. If you are employed part time and are in reciept of a partial payment

of OPF payment you are not allowed to claim illness benefit while you are out

sick effectively meaning you loose half your income immediately.