Marie Moloney (Labour)
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I apologise for being obliged to leave the room but I was called out momentarily. Deputy Ryan has asked one or two of the questions I had intended to ask, as to what were the witnesses' proposals for reform. As the witnesses are aware, the Mangan report drew on contributions from many organisations. Did they feed their proposals to the team that drew up the report? I have my doubts about universality of payments. For example, without identifying the person concerned, I spoke to someone only last night who recounted an earlier conversation with a chief executive officer of a company who is on big money. Last year, when €10 was cut from child benefit, he went berserk giving out about it, even though he earns a huge amount of money. A point members discuss every day in respect of every Department is that many people are being paid what sometimes are immoral amounts of money but they also have an entitlement to child benefit. My worry is that people who merely are PAYE workers on low to moderate incomes discern that such people still have the same entitlement to child benefit as they themselves enjoy. It is very hard to understand the reason this is allowed to happen. As for the €25,000 threshold, that simply was an indicative figure used to state that were one below it, one would be in poverty. However, to be honest, one would want to be earning considerably more than that to be out of poverty these days. The sum of €25,000 is very low and I am sure it will not be the figure used because it is too low.

During a debate on this issue in the Seanad, the Minister for Social Protection stated she would not make further cuts to child benefit until proper child care was in place. I hope she will honour this commitment and this is the reason the Tánaiste has stated there will not be changes. I will take up this matter with the Minister again to be sure she will honour that commitment. As everyone is aware, education probably is the best investment one can give a child but as Senator Healy Eames noted, although the preschool year will benefit families with younger children, it will not be of any benefit to children aged five and upwards who are going to school and so on. If their money is to be cut, it will be seen to be subsidising people with younger children but families with older children need the money for school expenses and so on. I thank the witnesses for their attendance and members have noted and will take on board their comments. I apologise for being obliged to leave during the presentations but members have the full transcripts to hand and will give them due consideration.