Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I support Deputy Ó Caoláin's amendment which has huge merit. We cannot disconnect the issues of education and welfare. For many school age children, the first indications of issues relating to welfare arise within the school setting. On a number of occasions here, I have raised with the Minister for Education and Skills and the Minister for Social Protection the issue of truancy and the failure to link that with child benefit.

This morning, the Minister for Social Protection has commented on the number of children attending school - 20% - who have no breakfast or who go to bed hungry at night. The proposal I have put to both Departments and which now through this legislation comes into this Minister's brief is that there should be a direct connection between the payment of child benefit and school attendance. This would assist in encouraging some families to ensure their children maintain a good attendance. I spoke on this issue in the House a number of weeks ago and brought to the attention of the Minister for Social Protection instances that have been given as case examples by the National Education Welfare Board. When parents have eventually been brought before the courts and fines imposed on them, the child's attendance record has improved significantly. However, it should not take 12 months of dragging parents through the legal system for that to happen.

The great benefit of linking school attendance and child benefit is not only that this would act as an early warning system of welfare issues in particular families and as an incentive for those families to ensure their child attends school, it would also eradicate approximately €100 million of fraudulent payments relating to children who do not exist or are not resident in the country. Some of that money could be rechannelled towards supporting families where there are welfare issues. The Minister and the new agency face a huge challenge in regard to the resources available to meet the challenging needs of families, yet there is a pot of money being paid out on an ongoing basis for children who do not exist or who are not resident in this country. People should not be in receipt of these payments. Based on the Department of Social Protection's figures, the sum involved is approximately €100 million annually. Some of this money could be channelled towards supporting children where there is an issue of truancy and other underlying family difficulties.

On a related issue, I came across an amazing statistic in recent weeks, namely, that some 1,500 children a year finish primary school but never appear in the second level education system. There may be legitimate reasons for some of these absences, but these 1,500 children should not disappear completely from the education system in the space of one academic year. If school attendance was linked with child benefit, we would identify very quickly where the problems are and where those children are and ensure adequate resources and supports are put in place to ensure those children stay within the system.

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