Cyprian Brady (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

I, too, welcome the opportunity to contribute briefly to this debate. Anybody who has had the privilege and responsibility of raising children knows what the costs are and how those costs change as children grow older. Sometimes it amazes me that, to judge by some of the comments that are made, people do not recognise the huge improvements that have been made in recent years with regard to child care and particularly child benefit. It is interesting to look at the numbers. In 1982, child benefit for the first five children was €8.86 each and €13.78 for the sixth child. In 1992, it was €20 each for the first three children and €29.07 for the fourth child. There have been major increases each year over the past ten years.

The reasons for those increases are as valid today as they were ten, eight or five years ago. This Government has always recognised the importance of the child benefit payment for all families. There has been some discussion about wealthy families compared to other families but, in my experience, every family uses the child benefit, and particularly those on low incomes. These are the people we must protect, and we must make tough decisions to do that. They depend on child benefit more than others. In light of the increases that have occurred, there can be no argument but that things have improved over the years. As the Minister said last night, families who are dependent on basic social welfare payments are entitled to extra payments.

Child benefit plays a huge role in many families. Every week in my constituency, I encounter family units, be they couples or single parents, who are dependent on all the payments they receive, including child benefit. To sustain the current position and to ensure those payments continue to be made each week and month, we must make some tough decisions next week. Everybody in the House would argue that we must protect the most vulnerable and those who depend on welfare. We must keep people in jobs. Basically, we must ensure that the children of this generation and the next are not burdened with huge debt whereby they will be unable to pay any welfare payments, including child benefit.

I have no hesitation supporting the Government's amendment because, when we were able, we have made a difference to people's lives on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. If we are to continue to do that, we must make a decision to protect those who depend on welfare the most, those who are losing their jobs or are under threat of losing their jobs and to sustain people who are in employment. Our decisions in the next week will feed directly into how children are treated.

See this speech in context