Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for the answer. It is a fairly detailed response and it is costed. As for the response the Government has made in terms of the cost-of-living crisis, despite the criticisms across the House we did take measures that were both targeted and more general. The genesis of this question comes from many queries to our offices from people who would not have been receipt of any other payment. They greatly appreciated the child benefit payments, the double payment that was made before Christmas, as well as the additional week for this June which will affect, as the Minister says, 1.2 million children.

While there are criticisms - I do not say they are not valid - that the child benefit is not more targeted, we have to accept that it also provides, in the midst of the cost-of-living crisis, a more general support across society. There are payments which the Minister says are available but they are only available to some recipients. Perhaps more could be done to protect those people who are in full-time education, even if it is not explicitly through this measure.

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