Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)

Does the Minister accept that child benefit is a key mechanism for ending child poverty? Would he also accept that children who are now prevented from receiving child benefit due to the habitual residence condition are most in need of it, given that their parents are not permitted to work while awaiting a decision on their residency application? Does the Minister acknowledge that our immigration policy is taking precedence over anti-poverty measures, with children being driven into greater poverty due to child benefit no longer being a universal payment?

How does the Minister respond to the charge that, while all children are equal, this Government considers some more equal than others with this blatant discrimination? Does the Minister accept that the Government's immigration policy is in contravention of the Minister's stated policy objective of eliminating child poverty? If a child is hungry, we should address that hunger. However, whether it was due to media concerns that Ireland would be swamped by people from other European countries or for other reasons, we introduced the habitual residence condition with regard to people who should be entitled to this benefit. How many people does it affect? Does the Minister accept that families who have been denied this payment are struggling to afford warm clothes and nutritious food for their children?

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