Lenihan ‘upbeat’ despite diagnosis

SOCIAL Affairs Minister Mary Hanafin has said her colleague Brian Lenihan remains upbeat despite his cancer diagnosis, but she was scathing of the TV coverage of his illness.

She said she has spoken with Finance Minister Lenihan since he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer earlier this month and he is in good spirits.

“I had a long chat with Brian and of course we are all shocked at the news but he is very upbeat and willing to take on the challenge of his treatment,” she said.

Ms Hanafin condemned TV3’s coverage of his illness saying that even though he was a public figure he had the right to be ill in private. She said all his cabinet colleagues and friends were appalled at the manner of the coverage.

Mr Lenihan is expected to make a statement on his illness in the new year.

Ms Hanafin made her comments in the course of a radio interview yesterday, where she confirmed the Government would look at drastic changes to the lone parents allowance.

She made it clear however there are no immediate plans to reform or withdraw the payment.

There are 87,840 parents, mostly women, availing of the payment of an average of €12,000 a year.

It costs the department €1 billion a year.

Ms Hanafin said the nature of the payment discouraged mothers from having a stable relationship or marrying, because they cannot live with a partner and still claim the payment.

This could be improved if the payment stopped when a child reaches the age of 13, rather than the current upper-limit of 22.

She also said lone parents were unlikely to look for work if they were getting social welfare payments and the current system was not lifting children out of poverty.

Children of lone parents were four times more likely to live in poverty, said Ms Hanafin.

However, she told RTÉ’s News At One while the issue will be looked at by Government there was no intention to make sweeping changes at this time.

A report presented to the Department of Finance prior to the budget claimed there were significant problems when the lone parents allowance was paid in tandem with other types of welfare.

It showed when rent supplement was added to it recipients were potentially better off than if they joined the workforce.

But Frances Byrne of the lone-parent advocacy network, OPEN, said more than 400,000 people were on the live register and there were simply no jobs for those who wanted to work.

She said given cuts made to social welfare and the child benefit, lone parents need this type of kite flying from Ms Hanafin “like a hole in the head”.

“When lone parents hear this type of comment coming from a Government minister they really, really start to worry.”