Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)

I have previously advised Deputies that I established an advisory group or commission on tax and social welfare in June this year. The first issue the group has been tasked with is to recommend cost-effective solutions to employment disincentives and achieve better poverty outcomes, particularly child poverty outcomes. As I indicated to the Deputy there has been a number of reports, with one from the Department and one from the ESRI, examining how to retain the core value of universal child benefit. If I may make a gender-based remark, those who want to abolish universal child benefit are generally men, and women are not usually consulted. The payment is generally made to women, who appreciate it. The group will report by the end of next March and I hope we will find a way to retain universality of payment while finding methods of consolidating the other payments relating to children, such as the child dependant allowances and family income support. They must become more coherent.

See this speech in context