Holiday help for solo parents

Press, 14 December 1977, Page 3

Holiday help for solo parents

PA Wellington Solo parents, including widows, will qualify for a Social Welfare benefit if they have to stop work in the school holidays to look after school-age children. The decision — which gives a solo parent with one child $49.84 a week and increases by $3 for the second child and $1.25 for each further child — was announced Iby the Minister of Social 'Welfare (Mr Walker) yesterday. The allowance will be granted from the day after holiday pay stops and will continue until the end of the holidays for those who have not returned to work earlier. The allowance, known as the emergency maintenance -allowance, is the same as that introduced earlier this year for new applicants for the domestic purposes benefit. Mr Walker said that in the past, solo parents in this situation did not always qualify for assistance because they had only temporarily stopped work and the legislation required that any I benefit be assessed on the basis of their annual income. I “This meant that the income earned during the pre-1 ceding year was taken into I account in assessing the rate! of benefit payable. “In many cases the income; was such as to preclude any i payment.” Mr Walker said thei Government was aware that! lin some cases this policy created financial problems, and it had therefore moved to make better provision fori I these solo parents.