Willie Penrose (Westmeath, Labour)

I move amendment No. 6:

In page 5, between lines 12 and 13, to insert the following:

"1.—The Minister shall, as soon as may be after the passing of this Act, prepare and lay before both Houses of the Oireachtas, a report on the universal availability of child benefit and the lifting of residency conditions.".

My party has always argued that the child benefit payment is important because it is universal and mainly given to mothers. The introduction of a second tier, means-tested child benefit payment has been proposed to tackle child poverty. Children resident in the State who fail the habitual residence condition are not eligible for child benefit. The introduction of this condition was unnecessary because the problem it was intended to address, that of welfare tourism, did not materialise as the Minister's predecessor predicted. The universality of the child benefit payment must be restored. We must examine the eligibility criteria which preclude the application of the universality principle in child benefit payments.

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