Child payment rise ‘an absolute insult’ to parents

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.

"Giving a 6 and 8 increase in the amount paid in child benefit is an absolute insult and shows this Government has no interest in supporting children. This is the only payment for many children that stands between them and poverty. When you factor in all of the increases in fuel, food, and rent or mortgages, the increase is quickly eroded," she said.

"This increase will not act as a buffer between children and poverty and will certainly do nothing to help parents pay for childcare," she added.

Ms Kelly said the Government spent a large amount of energy last week disputing how many children were living in poverty when it would have been better off diverting that energy into creating a fairer Budget.

"Let's be clear about this, lone parents were targeted in the Book of Estimates and nothing has changed for them in the Budget. It beggars belief that any Government would target this group, highlighted in every kind of report as being most likely to live in poverty. By only allowing people who have been in rented accommodation for six months access to rent allowance, the Government will create a whole new category of homeless people lone parents," she warned.

Ms Kelly's criticism of the Government's handling of lone parents was echoed by the ex-director of the Limerick Resource Centre for the Unemployed Joan Condon. She feared the scrapping of the Creche Supplement for people taking second chance education would not only condemn them to the poverty trap by forcing them out of training courses, but would also lock their children into inter-generational poverty.

Ms Condon, who is also a member of the Limerick Centre's childcare group, said that before this Budget decision, anyone attending VEC or VTOS courses was entitled to the Creche Supplement. Although the supplement of about 63.50 would only cover about half of the costs of childcare for one child, it made it easier for people with children to afford to go back to education.

"Without this payment, a lot less people will be able to afford second chance education and will remain in the poverty trap. This decision will perpetuate the poverty cycle and lock people into inter-generational poverty."