Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)

That is not what everybody receives. They are, correctly, specifically targeted payments.

In answer to a question the Deputy asked at the start of her contribution, my philosophy is to try to direct the resources available to where they are most needed. I am not wedded entirely to big universal payments, as valuable as they are, because it presumes in many respects that there are unlimited resources. No country and no Government have unlimited resources. While there must be some universal payments, it is very important to ensure one maximises the amount of resources going directly to those who need it most. That is my philosophy and I think it may well be the Deputy's also. I am trying to give her some examples. That is the reason for the different rates of payment because it is not possible to keep everything in the child benefit genre, a monthly payment made to everybody. It is paid to multimillionaires and persons who do not really need it. We have broken out some payments because there are restrictions in respect of to whom they are made. The restrictions ensure they are made to the families in greatest need.

I will cite the example of a family with four children, which is not unusual in Ireland. The annual cash payment to a family with four children, with one under six years, two between the ages of six and 12 years and one over 12 years is €15,000, a significant commitment. I cannot think of any other government in Europe which is making such payments. It is right to do so but it is a huge amount of money. I remind the Deputy of the amount a working person needs to earn to have a net amount of €15,000. I am not including the family's social welfare payments in that figure; I am citing the specific, exclusive, direct support provided for children in a family with four children. This is a very significant sum paid by the taxpayer.

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