Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have a number of questions. I was almost lost in the tables in the report. Sometimes when one looks at statistics it is hard to glean exactly what they indicate.

I welcome the fact that the group considers that the universal child payment should be paid in respect of all children. That was a good outcome, albeit that the effect of what was being proposed would be a reduced universal child payment, given the advisory group's remit that it had to be cost neutral and cost reducing. That restriction was difficult for the advisory group given that our population is increasing, more people depend on the family income supplement and more people are qualifying for the qualified child increase. Taking account of all those factors, it means that whatever the advisory group came up with at the other end would have a negative impact on somebody or other. I would love to have seen a report that would have allowed the members of the advisory group to use their imagination to formulate a child income support system that recognised the universality of the existing system and to decide how to distribute another pot of gold to tackle child poverty. Perhaps in time we will get to that. I welcome the report.

I welcomed the fact that the Minister when answering questions last week recognised the benefits of social transfer, especially in tackling poverty. I am concerned that if we start to proceed with this intended model, it will have a detrimental effect, especially when we consider the way the second tier is measured and qualified in terms of a means test, whether it is those who already qualify for qualified child allowance or family income supplement, given the changes that have occurred in FIS in particular in recent years in that more people are getting it but qualification for it is more restrictive.

Would Ms Mangan have projections for this year, and the next five years, of the number of children who would benefit from child benefit? I presume Ms Mangan would have some indication of those figures. If the population rate increases as it is currently, an extra 100,000 or 200,000 children would benefit from child benefit and that would have an effect on the overall budget. There are figures in the report on the spend, which has reduced for this year and the previous year, but the figures for the number who are benefiting is increasing. That shows the effects of this measure this year in particular on families, especially those who might not be dependent on social welfare but who are on low and middle incomes.

The report was submitted to the Minister last April but we did not have sight of it until February. Has the Minister been in contact in the meantime regarding the report or did Ms Mangan indicate to the Minister any reason to delay its publication once the advisory group had completed this portion of its work?