Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

As I pointed out to Deputy Naughten, it is my view that child benefit should be universal payment. It is one of the few universal payments in our social welfare system. All of our research shows that the payment goes directly to the caring parent who is, for the most part, the mother, and is very well spent on children. I do not have any proposals to tax the payment.

I am aware of the discussions to which the Deputy refers. To assist families on social welfare, we are focused on helping parents, whether in one-parent or two-parent households, to engage in education and training and ultimately enter employment as the best route to supporting children out of poverty. At this time and, even more so, during the recession, the cashflow of child benefit on to the household kitchen table has been incredibly important in supporting families with children. The current system is the best way of giving a package of direct cash supports to families who have children.

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