Gilmore: Lone-parent allowance cuts just one part of childcare reform
The Tánaiste has rejected calls from the Oppoition to drop plans to cut the lone-parent allowance.
It was announced in the Budget that for new entrants to the scheme, the payment would end once the youngest child reaches the age of seven.
Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton previously announced that for new applicants, from May 2012 the maximum age limit of the youngest child for receipt of the one-parent family social welfare payment would reduce to 12 and that it would reduce further to age 10 in 2013 and to age seven in 2014.
Speaking in the Dáil last night during the second stage of the Social Welfare and Pension Bill 2012, Ms Burton said the Government was still of the opinion that "supporting parents in participating in the labour market once their children have reached an appropriate age will improve their own economic situations and their social wellbeing as well as that of their families".
However, she said that, since she had proposed the measures, there had been significant concern that seven was too young especially about leaving a child alone without adequate childcare while the parent made the first steps back to the workplace or into education and training.
"I entirely agree that seven is too young for anyone to seriously contemplate these things without there being a system of safe, affordable and accessible childcare in place, similar to what is found in the Scandinavian countries whose system of social protection we aspire to," she said.
"That is why I am undertaking tonight that I will only proceed with the measures to reduce the upper limit to seven years in the event that I get a credible and bankable commitment on the delivery of such a system of childcare by the time of this year’s budget. If this is not forthcoming, the measure will not proceed.
This morning Eamon Gilmore insisted the measure to cut back on the lone-patent allowance was just one part of reforming the childcare system.
"There is nobody in this house who would leave a seven-year-old without the care of an adult. This legistaltion is not about what age do you leave a child on its own...Nobody is contemplating that," he said.
Click to stay connected with
more stories like this:
more stories like this:
