Burton tells lone parents to consider time before child is 14 as 'transition period'
Tánaiste Joan Burton has been defending the changes to the lone parent allowance which came into effect yesterday.
The changes will require single parents in receipt of social welfare, whose youngest child is aged 14 years or over - to apply for the normal Jobseeker’s Allowance.
Ms Burton said lone parents will not have to seek employment until the youngest child is 14 - and between seven and 14 years is considered a transition period.
"You're not expected to seek work, but lots of people choose to, until you're youngest child is 14," she said.
"So it's a 14-year period, from your baby, until that baby is likely to be in the first or second year of secondary school.
"Looking at the fact that in Ireland, childcare services are not quite as good as they are in a lot of other countries and I want to change that.
"The first point in which we contact you is after the child turns 7, you go into a transition period which is about education, training, experience, if you want to work that’s fine, but that is your choice.
"But when the child turns 14, we’re saying to you, in a couple of years your child will be a young adult, we want you to take the chance now to get involved in work and really get yourself financial independence for later on."
