Fine Gael's Social and Family Affairs spokesman David Stanton has claimed that young people are dropping out of school to care for relatives.

SO, a year after becoming Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Seamus Brennan has decided to take action on the 30,000 to 50,000 ‘hardcore unemployed’ - but not yet.

RADICAL changes to the way the State supports carers will be called for today at the launch of a study that shows many family carers receive little or no official recognition.

Labour has called for clear action on regulating the use of jet skis.

ONLY a third of the €139 million in overpayments made to welfare recipients between 1998 and 2002 were recovered by the State.

FINANCE MINISTER Charlie McCreevy has been accused of rolling the Trojan horse of decentralisation into the Budget to distract attention from dragging an additional 62,000 taxpayers into the highest tax bracket.

Deputy Michael Ring, the Fine Gael's spokesman on Social and Family Affairs, says its disgraceful that the Taoiseach has failed to give a voice to the organisation representing women who stay at home to rear their families, or care for elderly or sick people.

HEALTH Minister Micheál Martin has been forced into an embarrassing climbdown over penny-pinching proposals aimed at the parents of severely disabled children.