Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail)

I was impressed by Senator Terry's comments. The manner in which she put forward the amendment struck a chord and made a lot of sense. Child poverty involves much more than the monetary amount coming into a household. There is a range of other issues, not least where a child comes from a family where education is not a priority and is often viewed with derision, putting him or her at a huge disadvantage. Although there are mechanisms that address this, there must be enhanced efforts to break the cycle so that people who come from such a background have a better chance. The number attending third level education has increased considerably in the past decade and is a significant factor but some people are, despite our economic success, left behind. Attitude is an important factor and any mechanisms that address that should be put in place.

There is great reluctance, which I understand and, to an extent, support, to introduce means testing for child benefit. However, there are people on six figure incomes who are in receipt of it. Given the reluctance to introduce a limit over which it would not be paid, perhaps there could be a voluntary scheme encouraging people on incomes exceeding, for example, €100,000 or €150,000, not to avail of the benefit. I do not know to what extent it would be taken up but I suspect some people, having had opportunities in modern Ireland which their parents or grandparents did not have, might see it as a chance to forgo money that can be better utilised for needy children or other causes. Maybe that is too optimistic and puts undue faith in people's altruism but I believe some people would act in that way and it might achieve the objective without imposing limits, which I feel would be resisted by the Minister.