Connacht Tribune
Research aims to help improve the lot of lone parent families
Lifestyle – Bernie Ní Fhlatharta meets Dr Michelle Millar who says social inclusion that helps people find jobs is key to solving poverty
Lone parents and their children are the biggest group at risk of poverty anywhere in Ireland.
According to the latest census figures one in eight people in Ireland live in lone parent families and one in four families with children is a one parent family.
In a more socially inclusive Ireland, it is acknowledged that these families need help to ensure they have the same opportunities as everyone else to be educated, expect to work in their chosen fields and have the same lifestyle as two-parent families.
Sadly, it is not the case. Income in a one parent family is usually greatly reduced and as the onus of care falls on the one parent, it is more than likely that going out to earn money is more difficult.
It is not surprising then, that children of these families are at greater risk of poverty.
Minister for Social Protection, Leo Varadkar in his recent Biennial Distinguished Lecture at the Institute for Lifecourse and Society in NUI Galway, mentioned one parent families in particular and his aim to reduce child poverty in the country.
He said that one of his priorities was, in partnership with other agencies, to help one parent family have more access to education and to employment through introducing a top-up to the child benefit scheme and Family Income Supplements.
But he did stress he didn’t want a situation where families on long-term Social Welfare would be “better off” receiving State aid than working in gainful employment.
Ministers like Leo Varadkar and other policy makers are informed by people working in research and at that same event in the new ILAS building on the college’s North Campus in Dangan, one of these researchers also addressed those in attendance. Those invited were made up of academics, policy makers and NGOs from agencies like COPE and Foróige.
Professor Pat Dolan, Director of the ILAS at NUI Galway welcomed the Minister’s invitation to engage with his Department and said the research carried out at the Institute did make a difference.
One of those people making a difference is Dr Michelle Millar, a Senior lecturer of Science and Sociology and researcher at the university who with Dr Rosemary Crosse, compiled a report on how lone parent families survive in modern Ireland.
Dr Millar’s current research interest focuses on labour market activation and those parenting alone as well as social inclusion and parenting.
Recently, her research into this very subject led her to being called to a Joint Oireachtas Committee which looked at the plight of lone parents and how their lives could be improved.
“It was great to be invited to the Joint Oireachtas Committee and to be listened to, but of course we never know how our research is going to impact on future changes to policy. We carry out the research in the hope of having an impact on policy, but we don’t know what’s going to happen,” says Dr Millar, a Wexford native who came to Galway in 1998 after studying in the University of Limerick.
She spoke with authority at that recent ILAS event where she was called upon to make the closing address.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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GARDAÍ and the IFA have issued a joint appeal to all road users to take extra care as the silage season gets under way across the country.
Silage harvesting started in many parts of Galway last week – and over the coming month, the sight of tractors and trailers on rural roads will be getting far more frequent.
Inspector Conor Madden, who is in charge of Galway Roads Policing, told the Farming Tribune that a bit of extra care and common-sense from all road users would go a long way towards preventing serious collisions on roads this summer.
“One thing I would ask farmers and contractors to consider is to try and get more experienced drivers working for them.
“Tractors have got faster and bigger – and they are also towing heavy loads of silage – so care and experience are a great help in terms of accident prevention,” Inspector Madden told the Farming Tribune.
He said that tractor drivers should always be aware of traffic building up behind them and to pull in and let these vehicles pass, where it was safe to do so.
“By the same token, other road users should always exercise extra care; drive that bit slower; and ‘pull in’ that bit more, when meeting tractors and heavy machinery.
“We all want to see everyone enjoying a safe summer on our roads – that extra bit of care, and consideration for other roads users can make a huge difference,” said Conor Madden.
He also advised motorists and tractor drivers to be acutely aware of pedestrians and cyclists on the roads during the summer season when more people would be out walking and cycling on the roads.
The IFA has also joined in on the road safety appeal with Galway IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs Chair Teresa Roche asking all road users to exercise that extra bit of care and caution.
“We are renewing our annual appeal for motorists to be on the look out for tractors, trailers and other agricultural machinery exiting from fields and farmyards,” she said.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
