A new report issued yesterday by the Oireachtas Committee on Social
Protection is “deeply misguided” in equating marriage and cohabitation,
and in calling for the removal of disincentives in the social welfare
code to marry or cohabit, the Iona Institute has said.
Only the
disincentive to marry should be removed, it continued.
In a statement, Iona Institute director, David Quinn, said that the
report Financial Disincentives to Marriage and Cohabitation, was to be
“applauded for recognising that children benefit when both of their
parents are involved in their lives.”
The report noted that, while single parenthood was not the only
contributory factor to childhood poverty, higher rates of school
dropout, teenage pregnancy or other negative outcomes are identified "
in international literature to contribute independently to these
problems.”
However, Mr Quinn said the report was “deeply misguided in equating
marriage with cohabitation because the two can’t be equated.”
He added
that cohabitation was “much less stable than marriage”, citing figures
from the UK's Millennium Cohort Study showing that the children born to
cohabiting parents were only half as likely to live with both parents
throughout childhood compared with children born to married parents.
“Therefore, children raised by cohabiting parents are far less likely
to live with both of those parents right through their childhood,” Mr
Quinn said
He continue,: “The Committee is correct to recommend that the
financial disincentives in the social welfare code that might prevent
some couples from marrying be removed. But there must be a greater
incentive to marry than to cohabit because of the benefits of marriage
for children.”
“Both marriage and dual-parenting have sharply declined in the most
socially deprived areas of Ireland in the last two decades. The State
and civil society also, need to devote themselves to rebuilding a
pro-marriage culture in those areas. Children, parents, and society can
only benefit from this.”
The chairman of the Committee is Jackie Healy Rae. The other members
are Fianna Fáil TDs Charlie O'Connor, Mattie McGrath, Cyprian Brady,
Niall Blaney and Thomas Byrne, Fine Gael TDs Catherine Byrne, Billy
Timmins, Fine Gael Mr. Michael Ring, and Bernard Durkan and Labour Party
TD Rósín Shortall.
Fianna Fáil Senators Martin Brady, Larry Butler, Fine Gael Senator
Nicky McFadden and Independent Senator Rónán Mullen were also on the
Committee.
The Committee heard no testimony from pro-marriage groups.
SIC: CIN/IE