STRESSED and bullied teachers will have access to dedicated counsellors under a new service set up to help avoid a negative impact on their work in the classroom.

MINISCULE increases in child benefit payments are an insult to parents and the children they are designed to help, chairwoman of the National Women’s Council of Ireland Mary Kelly said last night.

A 100% Christmas bonus will be paid to a large number of social welfare recipients during the first week of December.

HOPE of restoring childcare places for parents returning to education has been raised after meetings between the Department of Education and the vocational education sector.

“I REALLY don’t know what I will do now,” said bewildered Dublin woman Rosaleen Hickey, one of 40 mothers who protested yesterday over the axing of childcare funding for adult education students.

THE vice-chairman of City of Dublin VEC is to ask his brother Taoiseach Bertie Ahern to intervene in a funding crisis which will restrict the number of women returning to education.

The country's VECs are claiming tonight that some students attending VTOS, Youthreach and Travelling Training Centres will be forced off their schemes, because of funding cuts by the Department of Education.

I WRITE in response to your editorial of Monday, Oct 7 in reference to the payment of a Christmas bonus of €103.3 million this year to certain social welfare recipients.