couple cross the road from me don’t work, have a nicer car, sky sports and are with their kids all the time. I work 50 hours a week easy see the kids briefly during the week and am broke paying creche fees. its bullshit. I get hit for working while they get free money for staying at home. that’s how it looks to me folks. totally unfair system but I expect nothing else from the so called leaders of this country.

At the end of the day it’s all about the cash left in your wage packet after all the deductions that a working persons is responsible for, and when I see my wage slip I sometimes wonder why do I bother? If I want to make any kind of purchase I know I’ll have to earn nearly twice that ie if something cost me €500 I’ll have to earn nearly €1000gross to come out with €500 net

Here in sweden i have two kids in pre school 45hrs per week.the combined cost per month for both……….117 euro,funnily enough i take it for granted unless reading articles like this.btw i’ve never paid more than 32% tax here..used to pay 48% back home not to mention prsi.swedens not perfect but maybe a leaf outta of the swedish book…well not withstanding the present climate.

The problem is many newly created lone parents are forced to give up well paying jobs. As there is no statutory maintenance system in this country and poorly enforced maintenance orders, the remaining parent can be left carrying an unfair burden, Also there is no allowance for cost of work in calculating benefits,. Hence is someone is on a net income of €670 per week but with two pre school kids they are seen as receiving €670 when in fact they are only receiving €270. They would not qualify for rent allowance, mortgage interest subsidy, medical card or any sw help. They would be forced to give up their job and being wholly dependent on the state and trapped in poverty. This ‘all or nothing ‘ approach needs to change where real attempts are made to keep people in work. At the very least, childcare needs to be tax deductible and disregarded in terms of income calculations. A little support to struggling workers is one way of reducing welfare costs. It is not because welfare rates are too hight, but that there is no thought around supporting workers.

I think child care costs a criminal amount of money, when my Children were young it cost £5 a week, with a lunch that was in the eighties so not that long ago, Child minders need to get with the economic climate…

It seems as though either low end wages need to rise or welfare to parents needs to be cut and put into direct childcare services instead. Alternatively some combination of both. We need to incentivise parents to stay working when they are or get back to work when and if they want or choose to . The problem is childcare cost in this country are still quite high and services are still underfunded by the governement, we need something a bit more like the scandinavian model where childcare and pre-school facilities are a right for children and where working hours are made more family friendly.

I am a single parent. I’m nearly finished my masters so I’m hoping I’ll get a job after. If not I will move with my daughter. It’s about more than just money, it’s so degrading being on social welfare. I struggle on the money I get. Peoples attitudes towards people on welfare is horrible. They wouldn’t be saying the same thing if they were in that position. The fact is unless you live at home rent free or in a council house where you pay 20 a week or whatever, you just don’t have the quality of life people seem to think welfare recipients have. Things I used to take for granted when I had a job like getting my hair done, has become a once yearly thing. I reckon ANYTHING is better than being on welfare. I personally can’t wait to be free of it for good. Even if I end up not earning that much. At least I’ll have my dignity back.

With not enough jobs to go round, why harass parents to work, when it is obvious that young children especially will benefit from being with a parent rather than in an institutional setting. It is a tragedy that mothers of babies have to go back to work before a year is up, even if they do not want to. What kind of society is that? As for costs of childcare, if you are handing over care of your child to somebody to be loco parentis, I assume you would want them to have the best training (eg in child development) so they can give your child what they need in terms of a nurturing, loving learning environment? They have to learn so much and they are professionals – why should they not get paid for it? They are certainly not overpaid. As for Rent Allowance, it is gone down to about €107 max a week for a couple. Try to find a dwelling for you and your children for that! It is documented that landlords are not putting their rents down (many cannot afford to because their mortgage payments have not gone down), and there is evidence that many low income and unemployed people are already having to top up their rents because they have no choice.

My suggestion. Let’s remove tax individualisation and bring things back to single income households so that a parent can stay at home, look after the house and mind the children whilst a single earner has enough income to raise a family. This would free up jobs for more single income families and solve unemployment.
Dual income living is a con.

Child benefit should be only paid to those that actually need it! My wife’s sister and her husband are teachers with three kids, and they save the child benefit for the kids! It’s completely crazy!!