Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)

The NESC is considering the possibility of a new payment which will represent an amalgamation of FIS and CDA and which can be targeted at child poverty. We expect to receive a report from the NESC on the matter in the coming months. Like me, the NESC is of the opinion that something else is required. In that context, it has been suggested that a new allowance should replace both FIS and CDA for people on a certain level of income and that this should be targeted at children on the margins. The details have to be fleshed out and the NESC is working on them. We might be able to retain the objective of the CDA in this area. That might help us to resolve the argument, which has been ongoing for a number of years, as to whether CDA is better than child benefit. I will keep an open mind on the matter. However, I have, for the moment, accepted the argument that we should await the NESC's research on it. In the interim, we should adhere to the child benefit increases.

I meant to place on record that the number of recipients of one-parent family payments at the end of last year was 79,000. This is up from 58,000 in 1997.

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