THE governor of Mountjoy Prison has endorsed a proposal to allow former prisoners the right not to disclose convictions when applying for jobs or insurance.

CHILDREN in other EU countries are three times more likely to go to pre-school than their Irish counterparts, latest research has shown.

One in every nine children in Ireland is living in consistent poverty, a leading children’s charity claimed today.

ONE in six employees who admitted having experienced mental ill-health in the past two years may be jeopardising their career prospects, research shows.

It has today emerged that just one in five people suffering from mental ill health are working.

THE National Economic and Social Forum has criticised the Government for failing to promote the arts to all sections of the community.

Getting mothers, carers and the retired back in the workplace will sustain future prosperity in Ireland, it was claimed today.

Flashy BMW and Mercedes cars on our streets are the gaudy side of the Celtic Tiger boom, Social & Family Affairs Minister Seamus Brennan told the Dail today.

THE Equality Authority is to spearhead a new drive to ensure greater equality in the workplace, particularly for women.

IN his letter defending the Government’s below EU average social spending (Irish Examiner, February 3), Pat Carey TD mischievously suggests that low social spending is attributable to the low level of unemployment.

NON-IRISH workers filled almost half the 96,200 jobs created in Ireland in the first nine months of last year.

A leading government think-tank has warned about the dangers of relying on immigrant labour to maintain economic growth.

Ireland has become one of the most unequal countries in the developed world, Government advisers warned today.

DESPITE increasing levels of wealth, Ireland is a more unequal society than ever before, the latest report from the National Economic and Social Forum has found.

The State needs to spend an extra €500m each year on community care for older people, it was claimed today.

FOR a nation that likes to boast of its newfound status as one of Europe’s wealthiest economies, Ireland lags far behind other states on social issues.

GORDON BROWN and Brian Cowen have a lot in common. They both gave budget statements this week.

Pressure on the Government to deliver a major childcare package in next month’s Budget increased further today.

THE Cabinet yesterday took the unusual step of meeting on Sunday to discuss its proposed measures on childcare, social welfare and tax bands in next month's Budget.

CHILDMINDERS should be allowed care for up to five children in their own homes and be guaranteed €8,000 a year in tax relief, the Progressive Democrats said yesterday.

The Government must move to ensure every child in the country is given a year’s free pre-schooling following a major new study on childcare, it was warned today.

RADICAL changes are needed to address serious shortcomings in the education and care of Ireland’s youngest citizens, a Government advisory body has warned.

A major economic research group is calling on the Government to introduce new tax relief benefits to families paying for nursing home care for their relatives.

IMAGINE, for a moment, the following scenario. The Government announces that it will subsidise families where one parent stays at home to mind young children.

The Government will adopt a long-term plan to help parents access cheaper childcare, Minister for Children Brian Lenihan said tonight.

THE countdown to the next general election begins in earnest today with Fianna Fáil meeting to discuss strategy and Fine Gael and Labour launching their first shared policy document.

FIANNA FÁIL’S annual think-in next week will grapple with new ‘quality of life’ issues like childcare, long commuting times and the disintegration of community spirit that contributed to its two by-election losses this year as well as the Government’s falling support levels in opinion polls.

LABOUR LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) welcomes the Domestic Partnerships Bill, to be introduced shortly in the Seanad by Senator David Norris.

The National Economic and Social Forum has criticised Government policy relating to lone parents and has called for improved financial supports to help them.

IT would be an exaggeration to say that Fine Gael’s new policy document on civil partnership aims to abolish marriage. But the overstatement would only be slight.

GOVERNMENT departments have failed to improved their services to older people, even when it can be done for free.

The Fianna Fáil parliamentary party is due to begin its annual two-day seminar in Sligo later today.

DISSIDENT Fianna Fáil backbenchers are tipped to get a severe ticking off at the party’s gathering in Sligo today.

MOST adults have done it. Some celebrities get thousands of euro for glossy colour pictures of themselves doing it. Irish people are now doing it later in life.

A JUNIOR minister’s vow to shepherd through legislation that will give victims a key role when it comes to the early release of prisoners was met with confusion last night.

WORKERS are desperately looking to the trade union movement to sort out the housing crisis, a SIPTU official claimed yesterday.

A report by the National Economic and Social Forum has said that access to medical care should not be affected by ability to pay or geographic location.

Almost 3,400 pupils leave school every year without any formal qualifications, according to a survey by the National Economic and Social Forum.

Almost 3,400 pupils leave school every year without any formal qualifications, according to a survey by the National Economic and Social Forum.