Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the huge step that was taken in allowing full-time students to hold on to child benefit. I had raised the issue with the Minister, as did many of my colleagues. It was a positive move that it was included in the budget.

The one-off payments are just that. They are not ongoing over the years. When child benefit was originally introduced in the 1940s, it had a huge impact on household income and child poverty, which was very much reflected in mortality rates. Some families are under pressure, many of whom do not qualify for other social welfare payments and therefore are not able to access such payments as the increase for a qualified child. An increase in the rate would be a support to them. It is a measure I ask the Minister to examine closely to see whether there is a possibility of supporting families in that situation.

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