The Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Ms Coughlan, has tonight reversed her plans to cut social welfare payments to widows, widowers and single parents.
The cutback would have meant that a person in receipt of a widow's/widower's pension could no longer claim for unemployment benefits or claim for disability or injury benefits on top of their widow's/widower's pension.
However, Ms Coughlan reversed this decision tonight following a review of the plans.
"My review suggested there may be potential hardship in some cases, and consequently I have decided to fully retrospectively restore the arrangements that existed before January 19th," Ms Coughlan said.
The Labour Party and Fine Gael both attacked Ms Coughlan over the apparent u-turn.
Fine Gael spokesman Mr Michael Ring said it was "disgraceful that the widows and other affected groups have had to endure three agonising months of worry" before this evening's announcement. "Perhaps now that the Minister has located her sense of justice she could consider reviewing the hardship caused by the other 15 of her savage cuts."
Labour's Mr Willie Penrose said the announcement raises questions about the minister's judgement. "The Minister underestimated the anger from the groups affected by these cutbacks and from the general public," he said. "Minister Coughlan must now reinstate the remaining 15 social welfare cutbacks in the Savage 16."