EU and Child Protection in the Irish Republic
Introduction:
Ireland is unlikely to develop as a role model for the EU in terms of child protection measures. This is basically because the Party in Power, viz, Fianna Fail, has been following a policy of 'pick and mix' leaning more towards a corporate capital model for development as a result of which the image of Ireland as a welfarist state has taken a back seat. The country’s per capita spending on health care, schools education and child welfare measures has been one of the lowest among the EU countries and woefully less when compared with the counterpart in the UK. For instance, the annual spending on all levels of education compared to GDP per capita decreased from 18% to 17.3% between 2001 and 2002 which is way below the EU-25 wherein the average works out to 25.1%. The fact that spending on the primary and secondary education is particularly low speaks a lot about the lack of concern according to many in the areas of child welfare of which child protection is only one constituent. All these things are reflected in the high incidence of poverty which is among the highest in Europe. As of 2003, 21% of Irish population was receiving an income below the risk of poverty line and this could be compared only with the situation obtaining in Greece and Slovenia within the EU (Eurostat). But what cannot be compared is the fact that the economy has been witnessing an unusual boom which is reflected in growth of the GDP. The drastic cuts in public spending carried out by Fianna Fail with the implicit support of other parties may no longer hold water. In other words, fiscal promotional policy might have to be retuned. As a result, Fianna Fail has been subjected to a growing criticism by the opposition parties as Sinn Fein, Fine Gael etc of the way social care in general and child care in particular are being handled. Fianna Fail is also seen more as a religious party than an independent national party because of its consistent attempts to secure the consensus of Catholic Church in the introduction and implementation of any policy of significance. They all point to the eventual possibility of the political consensus coming to an end In a nutshell the country's entry into EU appears to be serving more the economic interests rather than the social interests.