Changes to welfare laws could make thousands of parents eligible for the new payments, reports The Mirror.
The changes were signed by Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys and could have a significant impact on single parents.
Humphreys announced the changes following the recommendations of the Child Maintenance Review Group, which was tasked with examining the current child support system in Ireland and making recommendations based on its findings.
The decision to pay will no longer be based on an assessment of child support means or income.
In addition, the requirement to take a child support test as a condition of eligibility for Sole Parent Payment and Jobseeker Transitional Payment will be removed.
“I have signed regulations which mean that applicants for one-parent family payment and jobseeker’s transitional payment will no longer be required to make efforts to seek maintenance from their child’s other parent,” Minister Humphreys said, reports The Mirror.
“This requirement often involved lone parents having to go to court to seek a maintenance order, so this change removes a potential additional stress for them, as well as helping to reduce the burden on our courts system,” she added, reports The Mirror.
Minister Humphreys also said that they could be applied as soon as autumn.
“I am delighted that I have recently received Government approval to draft the changes to primary legislation required in relation to the liable relatives’ provisions and removing child maintenance payments from assessment in the means test,” she said.
Tell us your thoughts in the Facebook post and share this with your friends.