There have been 800 after school childcare places provided (ASCC ) for all low income families and this is nowhere near the requirement needed to assist the 60,000 effected families. Minister Burton has cited the fact that lone parent families are the poorest group in Society as the reason for reform, however, the changes being introduced have a drastic financial impact on working lone parents and no financial impact on non working lone parents. We completely disagree that cutting working lone parents income is a way to improve the outcome for children in lone parent families.

There has been no additional training or employment supports being provided for lone parents, there is no childcare so we can avail of jobs bridge and we are actively hampered by our exclusion to the Jobs plus grant available to other job seekers. Without an affordable childcare system in place, many working lone parents will not be able to sustain these financial losses and will be forced out of the workforce. The Department of Social Protection has said that recipients affected can transfer to either Jobseekers payment, Carer's Allowance or Family Income Supplement payment to supplement any losses incurred. These all represent a huge financial loss and we totally reject Minister Burton's claims that this is to improve outcomes for our families. We call on Minister Burton to explain how she can proceed with these cuts to working lone parents, while ignoring her promise to provide an affordable childcare system. We ask if she becomes Labour Leader will she continue to ignore her promise.

Below please find details from Dept of Social Protection of financial impact on loss of One Family Payment. The weekly loss is shown in red and please note that as a result of changes t the Income Disregard, all working lone parents have already lost €27 per week or €1,404 per year since Minister Burton took over this portfolio.

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