Chaplains across the US are reporting a significant increase in religious practice at college campuses, according to a report in today's New York Times. Students are being drawn to religion and spirituality with more fervour than college staff can ever remember.

There has been a 70 per cent increase in the number of single parent families in the State since 1997. According to a CSO report, there were 73,700 single parent families in 1997, while in 2006 there were 125,600 such families.

People who believe that religion has no part to play in public life “infringe on other people's rights” according to Taoiseach Bertie Ahern. Mr Ahern made the comments in response to a question from Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny regarding the structured dialogue between the State and the Churches.

Nature is more important than nurture for a child's development, according to a new book by US psychologist Judith Rich Harris. Ms Harris, in a article in the latest edition of UK magazine Prospect, argues that genetic make-up has far more impact on how a child will turn out than the kind of parenting he or she receives.

Accord, the Catholic marriage counselling agency, have said that there is no demand for the recognition of prenuptial agreements. They were responding to a Government backed report, published yesterday, calling for prenuptial agreements to be formally recognised for the first time.

Children with religious parents behave better and are better adjusted than other children. That's according to a new study looking at the effects of religion on young child development. The research was carried out by sociologist John Bartkowski from Mississippi State University.

The vast majority of recently married couples are very happy with their marriages, according to a new poll commissioned by Accord, the Catholic marriage support service.

Women with better education and more career opportunities are delaying longer before having children, new census figures show. The most affluent area in the country, Dun Laoghaire/ Rathdown in Co Dublin, now has the oldest first-time mums in the State with an average age of 30.9.

Probate lawyers say that the huge recent increase in divorce figures has led to sons and daughters of first, second and sometimes third marriages squabbling over wills. They are fighting each other, their dead father's second wives or even third wives and their half brothers and sisters.

A leading family solicitor has said that the state of current divorce law means that marriage is a potential pitfall for businesspeople or anyone with wealth because if they divorce, their original settlements can be challenged by former spouses sometimes years after the break up.

The Health Service Executive (HSE) has begun a multi million euro campaign to encourage parents to listen to their children. According to the HSE, the key aim of the campaign “is to encourage communication between children and adults”

The Catholic Church should accept a reduced role in primary schools, according to John Carr, the General Secretary of the Irish National Teacher's Organisation (INTO).

Almost one third of people binge drink before sex, according to a new survey into the link between casual sex and alcohol.

Britons are increasingly likely to live in single-parent families, according to new official figures. The Office for National Statistics said children in Britain are three times more likely to live in one-parent households now than they were in 1972.

A poll showing a marked decline in religious knowledge amongst young people, sponsored by the Iona Institute, received widespread coverage yesterday in both print and broadcast media. The poll was covered on RTE's 6 o'clock and 9 o'clock news. Various radio stations discussed the story during the day.

Toddlers who spend three days a week in day care are more likely to develop "anti-social" behaviour, research by the UK government has found.

One of Ireland's leading Constitutional experts, Professor Gerry Whyte of Trinity College, Dublin, has expressed serious concerns about the Government's proposed children's rights referendum. He said that he was “unsure we can improve on the current Constitutional formula” regarding the family. He was speaking at a debate last on the proposal sponsored by the Newman Soceity in UCD.

The number of divorced people has skyrocketed by almost 70 per cent since the last Census in 2002, according to the 2006 Census. There are now 59,534 divorced people in Ireland, compared 35,059 in 2002. This constitutes an increase of 69.2 per cent.

Justice Minister Michael McDowell is to set up a study group to analyse the issue of pre-marital provisions in the event of a marriage break-up, which Irish courts do not currently recognise.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has pledged to double the home carer's allowance from 770 to 1540 a week if re-elected. Mr Ahern made the promise in the course of his pre-election Fianna Fail Ard Fheis speech last Saturday. Fianna Fail are now the fourth party pledged to increasing the home carers allowance.

Fine Gael, Labour and the Green Party have already committed to increasing the home carers allowance, a welfare allowance given to a full time carer in the home, by 1000 euro. The Home Carer Credit was introduced as a result of the controversy caused by tax individualisation in 1999. The Credit applies to all married one-income couples and is aimed at the spouse who works in the home caring for a child or other dependent. The Credit is worth €770 pa and has not been increased since Budget 2000.

Tax individualisation is a policy which seeks to create a family taxation regime in which tax is based on the individual earner and takes no account of whether the tax-payer has dependents.

The latest move comes after the Iona Institute highlighted the growing gap between the amount of tax paid by double income and single income married couples on the same income. In their first policy document, “Tax individualisation: Time for a Critical Rethink,” launched by Labour Finance Spokesperson Joan Burton TD, they showed that the gap between both types of couples can be up to €6240. There are 307,000 one-income married couples in the country.

In a statement, John P. Byrne BL, the author of the document, welcomed the proposals made by all four political parties. The new policies, he said, were improvements on the approach formerly taken by the Government since they did not “widen the gap between married one-income and married two-income families and sought to significantly raise the Home Carers Credit”.

However Mr Byrne added that the policies did not address the current difference on tax bands between one-income and two-income married couples. As such, he said, the policies of all the parties “did not go far enough”.

Tom O’Gorman of The Iona Institute stated: “It’s about time the political establishment woke up to the injustice created by tax individualisation. This directly discriminates against spouses who choose to stay at home and look after a dependent rather than take up paid employment. The tax gap introduced by Charlie McCreevy in Budget 2000 has actually been doubled in subsequent budgets. The Government shouldn’t favour one income married couples over two income married couples, or vice versa. What the various parties are now proposing is a first step in the right direction and we welcome that.”

27/03/07