Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his reply. Those increases are acknowledged and they are a help to people, and I acknowledge the Minister's role in that regard. He will appreciate the vulnerable circumstances of a family when the main breadwinner has been lost, especially in the period up to when children are of school-going age. Perhaps he might review the household benefits package with a view to extending it to that cohort of people. It is not tremendously large group and we hope it remains small and that people enjoy good health but sudden deaths and accidents can occur.

Regarding non-contributory pensions, is it not the position that widows who have children do not get the child benefit portion in that regard? Is that not an anomaly that needs to be addressed? A person in receipt of a non-contributory widow's pension does not get the child benefit portion. That forces them into jobseeker's allowance payment or, alternatively, into the one-parent family payment, in respect of which there may be restrictions and that also has to be reviewed. That is an anomaly that we could iron out. The Minister might examine those two areas. I appreciate addressing this will take a period of time and that it has to be done within the budget.

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