Áine O’Connell | Senior Staff Writer
A reduction in financial support for one-parent families “[contradicts] government objectives to reduce social welfare dependence”, says Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) President-elect Lynn Ruane.
The coalition government has proposed a raft of changes to payments that will effectively switch current recipients of the One-Parent Family Payment (OPFP) to only Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) or Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) should they take up any form of employment or education.
While recipients have been informed that the amount that they receive will not change, single parents who return to education will no longer be entitled to claim a student maintenance grant if they are in receipt of another social welfare payment. This represents a loss of anything from €300 per year to nearly €6000 per individual.
“One parent households are a group at risk of consistent poverty so further attacking us is a giant leap back for the progression of women,” said Ruane.
“For unemployed women the rate will stay the same, however, for women who do manage to take up employment part-time they will see a reduction in their weekly JSA. This is in no way an incentive for women to seek employment.”
Ruane, who was elected to the TCDSU presidency on a platform of opposing cuts to student support services, among other bodies, concluded that the reform of the payment structure will result in student parents withdrawing from College: “For women in education this policy will mean the loss of maintenance grant. This basically means that women will be forced out of education as they will no longer be able to afford to travel to college or pay for childcare.”
“These are women who in the near future will no longer be social welfare dependent so to go ahead with the shift to BTEA is contradictory of the government objectives to reduce social welfare dependence.”
Michéal Martin TD, leader of the Fianna Fáil Party, was among the other figures to condemn the proposed changes during the week: “Many one-parent families depend on this payment to keep on top of their household budget,” he said, “but the changes which have been introduced year on year are placing an increased financial burden on them.”
“These eligibility changes, which will see the payment taken off some families, come on top of cuts to child benefit, reductions in the Back to School and Clothing Allowance and a new tax on maternity benefit. Minister Joan Burton and her Government seem intent on attacking the most vulnerable, families in particular.”
Photo by An Cosán
