Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)

From 1 May 2004, 1,557 children have been denied child benefit as a consequence of the habitual residence condition. Some of those refused are the children most in need of this allowance. I made the point during debate on a previous Stage that immigration policy seems to be taking precedence over anti-poverty measures. If the purpose of this allowance is to help children and provide support for families in need, we should not separate children for the purposes of eligibility on the basis of their parents' status. Any children in this State who are hungry should be fed.

Deputy Stanton spoke about reviewing the situation, introducing some flexibility and so on, and I have no problem in this regard. There are reports of asylum seekers going hungry because, for example, they are used to a particular diet. However, there is no definitive information in this regard. Reform is needed so child benefit is once again a universal payment. All children must be treated equally and all should have the right not to live in poverty.

We are not experiencing the huge swamp or influx of asylum seekers that was predicted. Making child benefit a universal payment would not involve a major financial commitment but it would mean a huge amount to the people concerned. Many families must wait a considerable period for their asylum applications to be processed. In many cases, it can take years rather than months or weeks. Child benefit should be a universal payment and children should not be discriminated against on the basis of the habitual residence condition.

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