Runaway parents must be tackled

national | miscellaneous | press release Monday January 07, 2008 01:05 by RSF - Republican Sinn Fein

The new proposals being put forward by the Fianna Fail, PD and Green coalition to match single parent allowances to a work scheme out side the home is a short sighted move that discriminates against women, a community activist in Limerick said today.

Mick 'The Quill' Ryan, from Ballynanty, the local RSF Chairman said that the proposals are an attack on women who are left with all the responsibilities of child rearing

RUNAWAY PARENTS MUST BE TACKLED

The new proposals being put forward by the Fianna Fail, PD and Green coalition to match single parent allowances to a work scheme out side the home is a short sighted move that discriminates against women, a community activist in Limerick said today.

Mick 'The Quill' Ryan, from Ballynanty, the local RSF Chairman said that the proposals are an attack on women who are left with all the responsibilities of child rearing. Lone parents allowances are an established part of the current welfare system and while the inclusion of a work segment may be welcomed by some segments of society, the issue must be approached in an open minded manner, he said.

"The concern I have is that for many women the lone parent payment is their only income and they are struggling to survive financially. The idea that when their children come to the age of eight that these women can take up some sort of work programme is mis-guided. With the emphasis on good parenting today it is hardly in the children’s welfare to send the only role model they know to work outside the home. Surely children should be guaranteed the guidance of a parent until they begin secondary school. It would be far more beneficial if this Administration sought to make runaway parents responsible for some of the financial burden of rearing their children."