A/HRC/17/34/Add.2 D. Single parents 70. Approximately one in six children in Ireland lives in a single-parent household,57 86 per cent of which are headed by single mothers.58 Poverty rates among single-parent households are alarming: in 2009 almost 17 per cent of people living in single-parent households were in consistent poverty, the highest consistent poverty rate for any household category in Ireland.59 People living in single-parent households were also the most vulnerable to poverty, experiencing the highest risk of poverty rate (35.5 per cent) in 2009.60 71. The One Parent Family Payment (OPFP), the single parents’ weekly means-tested social welfare payment, has been subject to consecutive reductions over the past two years, and in January 2011, it was cut by a further 4 per cent. In a climate of rising unemployment and scarce job opportunities, and in combination with cuts to other social welfare payments relied upon by single parent families, this substantial loss of income will undoubtedly affect the vulnerability of single-parent households to poverty, and seriously diminish the possibilities of these parents to provide for their children’s basic material needs. 72. The independent expert notes that the new Government intends to gradually phase out the OPFP, and replace it with a parental allowance, in order to eliminate disincentives to taking up employment or getting married which are inherent in the OPFP. She cautions the Government to ensure that implementation of the parental allowance does not result in the exclusion of beneficiaries or the creation of further barriers for them. 73. Single mothers, representing the vast majority of single parents in Ireland, encounter specific obstacles preventing them from participating on an equal basis in the work market. Research shows that even during times of economic growth in Ireland, single mothers with pre-school children were one of the few exceptions to the general rising tide of labourmarket participation.61 One of the major obstacles to employment for single parents is the cost of child-care services in Ireland, which are among the highest in Europe. In this context, the independent expert welcomes the recent introduction of the one-year Early Childhood Education Scheme, and calls on the Government to ensure that the universal preschool year is of high quality, fully implemented and expanded. 74. An additional area of concern for single-parent families is the issue of adequate housing. In 2008, 36 per cent of all single-parent households were on the waiting list for social housing. One fifth of all people who relied on a rent supplement to meet their rental costs were single parents.62 The independent expert calls on the State to ensure that single parents have access to adequate housing as a matter of priority, and to eliminate requirements of the rent supplement payment that could disproportionately impact them. E. Travellers 75. Many social stereotypes and prejudices against Travellers persist in Irish society, and are manifested in discrimination that greatly restricts their access to social and 57 58 59 60 61 62 State of the Nation’s Children, p. 19. CSO, Census 2006, Volume 3 – Household composition, family units and fertility, p. 13. SILC, 2009, p. 77. SILC, 2009, p. 35. H. Russell et al., Monitoring Poverty Trends in Ireland 2004-2007: Key Issues for Children, People of Working Age and Older People (Dublin, Economic and Social Research Institute, 2010), p. 32. Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Annual Housing Statistics Bulletin 2008. 17