An ESRI report that will be published later today has found that changes made by the Government to the one parent family payment have led to a reduction in income for lone parents at work. The changes in 2015 meant that lone parents could only receive the one parent family payment until their child reached the age of seven. This was to encourage lone parents to take up work. Given that a significant number of lone parents who took up work saw a reduction in their income, will the Government now look to review the age limit of the one parent family payment and look at more specific measures to assist lone parents into education and work to reflect the fact that the cost of rearing children is significant and that they continue to need that help?

The Government needs to read and study that report before making decisions on it, but I think I can safely say that the Government wants to continue to support lone parents in an appropriate way. They do face challenges that other families do not face and they do need to get additional supports, as they currently do. If there are unintended anomalies because of policy, the Government will have to reflect on that.