Social Affairs | Business Post

Debtors to get one-week annual holiday allowance of up to €1,500

Under new insolvency guidelines, couples in debt-relief arrangements can earmark €1,500 for a break and single people can keep €1,000

Zeitgeist: The couples who are avoiding costly childcare by working and parenting in shifts

With childcare costs at barely affordable levels, many couples are taking a new approach to organising their parenting schedules – resulting in less hassle and more downtime

Lucinda Creighton: Attacks on the elderly should be a national call to action, not just to words of sympathy

We have become almost numb to reports of robberies and assaults on older people. Much more can, and must, be done to make all our citizens feel safe in their own homes

Government may link social welfare and state pensions to a cost of living indicator

Indexation, which is currently ‘under active consideration’, would involve the benchmarking of core welfare and state pension rates to a cost of living indicator, such as the Consumer Price Index

Ged Nash: Decision to pull plug on Benefacts should be reviewed immediately

Citizens are entitled to know who gets what and how our money is spent

Almost all Irish surrogacies now taking place in Ukraine

New figures show that the east European country has become the location of choice for Irish couples hoping to avail of a commercial surrogacy arrangement

How planned Irish legislation has exposed the ethical dilemma at the heart of the Ukrainian surrogate baby route taken by Irish couples

Since 2016, almost all Irish surrogate pregnancies have taken place in Ukraine, leading many to question the legal and ethical implications of doing so in an impoverished and poorly regulated country

MEPs urged to intervene in trial of US filmmaker linked to Irish tainted blood documentary

Kelly Duda helped with an award-winning Irish documentary on contaminated blood treatments which infected 105 Irish men with HIV. He’s now being tried in Italy and could face three years in prison

‘Unavoidable’ that Irish couples will continue using international surrogacy services

Conor O’Mahony says it is ‘imperative’ that legislation gives a route to full legal parentage for those who use international surrogacy arrangements

Senator cautions intending parents about Ukraine surrogacy

Concerns mount about the safety of current surrogate mothers and babies and access to the country due to the Russian military build-up on the border

AG says commodification of children is a concern in international surrogacy

Paper prepared for special Oireachtas committee challenges findings of report by Special Rapporteur on Child Protection

State aims to nurture community leaders in gang-afflicted areas

The government is to provide almost €200,000 in funding for an 18-month leadership course for individuals from both Darndale and Drogheda

Red C poll: One in three young women reports street harassment

New poll reveals extent of on-street, workplace and online harassment and strong public support for longer prison sentences for offenders

Elaine Byrne: Culture of discrimination won’t change until men tire of it too

Women have stories about everything from biased attitudes to assault. Only men’s help will change the culture

Bacik proposes paid leave for post-abortion complications

Labour TD’s suggested legislation also includes paid leave for early miscarriages and for women undergoing IVF treatment

The murder of Ashling Murphy has heightened awareness of gender violence and potentially created the conditions for change

The political and social reaction to the 23-year-old’s murder could be a watershed moment for how women are treated in Irish society

James McDermott: If cash is no longer king, it shouldn’t be persona non grata either

The rush to replace our legal tender with credit card and smartphone payments disadvantages the more vulnerable in society, not to mention the fact that technology has a habit of breaking down

Redress scheme for school abused is failing survivors, Council of Ministers is told

Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission tells council that Ireland is taking a defensive position ‘informed by suspicion and distrust’ in relation to redress for those abused in the school system

Students and unemployed may be trained to work as homecare workers

Despite an increased budget, difficulty in recruiting staff means 5,000 people are still on the waiting list for visits

Elaine Byrne: The only difference between a drugs victim and a ‘junkie’ is their address

For as long as we empathise only with middle-class addicts, we will fail to tackle crises like the ‘tsunami’ of crack cocaine in the less leafy green suburbs