U-turn by Tánaiste on social welfare cut after pressure by Sinn Féin TD Aengus Ó Snodaigh

TÁNAISTE JOAN BURTON – Social Protection Minister and leader of the Labour Party – has been forced to make a U-turn on her threat to cut social welfare payments to lone parents who take up work after an intervention by the Sinn Féin spokesperson on Social Protection, Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD.  

The move, affecting 28,000 of the poorest households with children, was due to come into effect in January.

Thursday’s Irish Times reports that the Social Protection Minister has indicated she will not now proceed with her planned cut.

But there was no sign of any such move when Minister Burton was challenged by Deputy Ó Snodaigh in a series of sharp exchanges in the Dáil on Tuesday afternoon.  At one stage the Labour Party minister accused the Sinn Féin TD of “just being sour”.

This morning, Aengus said:

“She has clearly reflected on what I said and is finally doing something right.

“On Tuesday I outlined to the Social Protection Minister the scale of poverty amongst this group.  One-parent families are those most at risk of poverty, with the highest consistent poverty rate, at 17.4%, a rate of deprivation of 49.5%, and nearly 30% of families are at risk of poverty.”

The Dublin South Central TD went on to say while this latest reprieve for lone parents is welcome “it was preceded by a relentless onslaught of cuts each and every year that this government has been in power”.

He urged the Social Protection Minister and Labour Party leader to abandon her plan to reduce the cut-off age to just seven years of age in 2015. 

“If she proceeds with that cut the effect will be to exclude thousands more lone parents from the lone parent payment scheme meaning that an income disregard of just €60 will be available to them anyway. For many that will negate this morning’s reported announcement,” he said.

Back in 2012, the Social Protection Minister declared that she would not proceed with cuts to the lone parent payment scheme without “a credible and bankable commitment” from the Government putting in place a system of “safe, affordable and accessible child care”. 

Deputy Ó Snodaigh said today’s U-turn is an admission of the Government’s absolute failure to deliver on childcare.