Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

The point is that it was indicated as far back as the April supplementary budget, as well as in the McCarthy report, that child benefit is an area of expenditure that must be examined. We must see how, on the basis of the limited resources available to us, expenditure can best be allocated across the social welfare budget. There is a great discrepancy of income to which child benefit applies.

See this speech in context