The Tánaiste has again defended a controversial cut to social welfare payments for single parents.

The One-Parent Family Payment is being cut from next month to single parents whose youngest child is over 7.

The cut was announced in the Budget two years ago, but was only meant to come into effect in July 2015 as it was planned to have a "Scandinavian-style childcare model" in place by that time to lower the burden on single parents.

The government's admitted that the change will see 6,000 single parents lose out - but says it's designed to encourage them to find work.

This morning Tánaiste Joan Burton's told the Dáil that by getting more work, those parents will be far better off: