Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)

I compliment Deputy Shortall on the motion she has brought before the House. It is particularly important as we approach next week's budget. We need to consider carefully how we intend to create a fair and equitable society. We need to pay more than lip service to the idea that all our children are cherished properly. As we have just heard, the core values of pure republicanism need to be considered when we speak about the issue of universal payment. I suggest that the central issue is one of rights. When the early child care supplement is abolished next month, no form of State funding other than child benefit will be available to all families as a contribution towards the cost of raising children. Nothing else will be specifically targeted at the child. Every child needs to be cherished and recognised by the State, regardless of the circumstances of the child's parents. The availability of child benefit on the basis of means testing the parents does not take the child's needs into account and therefore discriminates against the child. We have to look at this matter carefully from the point of view of the child, rather than from the perspective of the parents' means. It is important that we approach the issue of child benefit from the position of the child and set aside the parents and any other consideration. It is a question of the basic human rights of the child. The State has paid lip service to the concept of cherishing the children of the nation equally far too often. It has considered everyone except the child.

Deputy O'Sullivan spoke about the Murphy report on child abuse in the Archdiocese of Dublin. Earlier this year, the Ryan report on the abuse of children in industrial schools and reformatories demonstrated how poorly Ireland has protected, nurtured and cherished its children. When the House debated the issue of adoption last week, reference was made to the criticism by UNICEF of the manner in which Ireland conducts adoption proceedings with Vietnam. It has warned against further adoptions until the Hague Convention has been ratified in Irish law and appropriate structures have been put in place. We have not been good in our dealings with our own children or children from overseas. When we dealt with the trafficking of women and children the week before last, it was once more pointed out that the relevant international conventions have not been enacted in Ireland to ensure children are not trafficked into this country. All of this shows that we have not pursued the rights of the child in a proper fashion. The lack of a constitutional provision to uphold the rights of the child spells it all out. We have constitutional provisions on the rights of the family and adults, but the rights of the child are neglected in the Constitution. That area should be addressed.

The withdrawal of child benefit from any family would be a retrograde step for children's rights and children's welfare. Those who do not agree that child benefit should not be reduced argue that certain parents do not need child benefit. Of course there are very wealthy people like Mr. Smurfit and Mr. O'Reilly in this country. If we are really interested in organising society on a rights-based, fair and ethical fashion, we should use the taxation system to that end. We should tax those adults who can afford it, without interfering with the rights of children. The Labour Party has proposed the development of a third tier of taxation. A 48% rate of tax should apply to those who are well off. We should proceed in such a manner, rather than by taking from this sector of the population the one State provision that is available to it. Nothing else in the budget will be directly targeted at the child, as distinct from the family, adults, education or some other consideration. We should hold onto this universal core payment. It should not be reduced. We should not provide for the testing of income in this case. It should be maintained down the line. If we ensure child benefit is not reduced in the forthcoming budget, we will enhance the rights of the child.

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