Lone parents angry over job cuts proposal

LONE parent groups reacted angrily yesterday to proposals to cut the number of community employment places before the end of the year.

The number of people on the FÁS scheme is set to be axed from 28,000 to 15,000, including a cut in the number of lone parents employed from 5,700 to 3,420.

Support groups said that the plan will send lone parents back into poverty and cut off their one route to employment.

“Community employment is the only mainstream route into employment and it’s the only labour market programme that lone parents can get into,” said Frances Byrne of One Parent Exchange and Network (OPEN).

She said it will also seriously affect the provision of services in local, typically disadvantaged, communities throughout the country.

Ms Byrne said that when changes were made to the social welfare system in 1997 - allowing lone parents to earn a certain amount of money without it affecting their payment - lone parents flocked to the Community Employment scheme.

“By the end of the year, 40% of participants on Community Employment were lone parents.”

She said that, as a group, lone parents have a very high risk of poverty.

“Community employment is a bridge between unemployment and the world of work. It’s a serious leg out of poverty. It’s highly regrettable that this is happening. I don’t know where it’s coming from politically.”

She said Community employment was attractive for lone parents because it was part time, allowing parents to look after children, the employment was local, and child-care was typically provided.

“The problem is that mainstream employment hasn’t caught up with the community schemes: it isn’t part-time, it’s not local and there’s no child care.

“Lone parents are the sole parents and breadwinners. They have to achieve a balance, but there isn’t a family friendly situation in the workplace.”

Ms Byrne said that any proposals to reduce the number of places on the scheme below 28,000 would damage any hope of striking a new pay deal.

The said OPEN was part of the Community Platform grouping, which would oppose any such moves.

Margaret Dromey of Treoir, a support group for lone parents, said she was very concerned at the move.

“The chances of lone parents who are unemployed finding a job with adequate pay to cover child care is very slim. Community employment is a highly valuable means of getting lone parents back into employment and easing them back into training,” she said.