Changes to the lone parent allowance that are being introduced by the Government this week will prove to be extremely damaging for the Labour Party, Sinn Féin has claimed.
The party's deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald accused Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton, who has defended the measures, of playing into a negative stereotype of lone parents.
The changes, which come into effect on Thursday, will mean single parents in receipt of social welfare will be required to seek employment or training as soon as their youngest child reaches seven years of age.
Lone-parents groups say as many as 30,000 families stand to lose out under the reforms. The people hit hardest, they say, will be those already in part-time employment who stand to lose out by amounts ranging from anything between €10 and €140.
Those affected will also move from the one parent family payment to a new transitional benefit. The Government says the move is aimed at enabling one-parent families move out of welfare dependency.
Dáil motion
The Dáil will on Wednesday night vote on a Sinn Féin Private Members Motion to prevent the changes from going ahead.
Ms McDonald said the changes to the payment were “extremely damaging” for Labour. She said it was one a party that fought for social equity.
“I have listened to Joan Burton try to dress this all up and to explain it away. But if you go to talk to individual people what the new regime means for them they will tell you it means income loss, it means incredible stress,” she said.
Ms Burton on Wednesday defended the cuts to the allowance, which she had last year promised not to proceed with without significant investment in childcare.
The Tánaiste said there had been progress on the issue and that she had prioritised increases in child benefit payments.
Speaking on RTÉ's Today with Seán O'Rourke, Ms Burton said: "Are we at the Scandinavian model? No, but what we have is a hugely improved investment into community based childcare."
Ms Burton said the Department of Social Protection will help people claiming the benefit to find employment. She said €1 billion is spent on payments to lone parents. She insisted the Labour Party was fully supportive of the decision to change the payment.
Full term
The Tánaiste was also asked about when the next general election will be.
She said she and the Taoiseach had a number of conversations about the matter and, while matters can change, she believed the coalition would see out its five year term, which runs until March 2016.
“We took on a hard job for five years and I think we should see the five years out,” Ms Burton said. “I don’t see any reason to change my mind.”
