Govt criticised over lone parent policies

The National Economic and Social Forum has criticised Government policy relating to lone parents and has called for improved financial supports to help them.

In its latest annual report, the forum said unemployment among single parents in Ireland was amongst the highest in the EU and obstacles preventing single parents from participating in education and training should be removed.

It said more needed to be done to address high childcare costs in particular.

Elsewhere, the forum's annual report predicted that the poor would be hardest hit by increases in public service charges.

It also called for greater equity in access to hospital beds so that the less well-off could obtain places with the same ease as private patients.

The National Economic and Social Forum was established by the Government in 1993 to monitor and evaluate the implementation of policies dealing with equality and social inclusion.