Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I am pleased to bring the Social Welfare Bill (Child Benefit) Bill 2023 to Seanad Éireann. The purpose of the Bill is to give legislative effect to the child benefit summer bonus of €100 for each qualifying child, announced by the Government in February of this year. I am glad to say that the Bill received broad support in the Dáil. I welcome the support of all parties in the Dáil in that regard. It is good that we have common ground when it comes to supporting parents with children and teenagers.

Child benefit is a universal payment. It will reach many recipients who would otherwise not receive income supports from the Department of Social Protection, but for whom there are also financial challenges arising out of the cost-of-living crisis. Many of these are working families who have contributed through taxation and who now, in my view, deserve some support from the State. This cost-of-living bonus will be paid in respect of 1.2 million children at a cost of approximately €120 million. Child benefit is a monthly payment of €140 to support parents and guardians. It is usually paid to the child’s mother, and is paid for each child who is under 18 years-of-age if he or she is in full-time education or training or has a disability and cannot support himself or herself.

The Government has implemented a range of other cost-of-living measures targeted at the most vulnerable in our society and those who are most at risk of poverty. For example, a €200 lump sum payment to anyone in receipt of long-term social welfare payments was paid from Monday, 24 April and provided over €250 million in additional supports to those who need it. An additional €100 payment will also be paid this year in respect of each child for whom the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance is paid. For a child between the ages of four and 11, the payment will be €260 and for children between the ages of 12 and 22, it will be €385. The hot school meals programme will be extended to all DEIS primary schools from September, benefiting 64,500 children.

These measures are in addition to other measures implemented by the Government in 2022 and 2023 covering a wide range of other supports such as the autumn double payment for long-term welfare recipients, the Christmas bonus, fuel allowance supports, energy credits, reductions in student fees, reductions in childcare costs and reductions in public transport fares. As Senators can see, this Government has been active and agile in responding to the financial pressures many people in our community are experiencing.

I now turn to the provisions of the Bill. Section 1 temporarily modifies the effect of section 292 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005, which will enable me to make regulations to pay the €100 summer bonus to child benefit recipients. Changes to child benefit payments are currently excluded from the existing regulation-making powers in the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005. Accordingly, it is necessary to temporarily modify section 292 of the Act to ensure there is a legislative basis to meet the commitment to pay the child benefit bonus in June. The regulation-making powers in relation to child benefit are temporary in nature and subject to a sunset clause of 31 December 2023. Following enactment of this legislation, the necessary regulations will be made by me in conjunction with the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform.

Section 2 is straightforward and contains the Short Title and construction of the Bill.

This is a short Bill, but nonetheless a significant one. I believe it is important to support families with children at this time of difficulty for many. Senators can be assured that the Government will continue to monitor the impact of cost-of-living pressures and will not be found wanting in further supporting people if the need arises. For now, I am pleased to introduce this particular improvement in respect of child benefit. I look forward to hearing contributions from Senators. I commend the Bill to the House. Go raibh maith agaibh.

Paddy Burke (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Minister to the House. As she has stated, this is a short Bill, but an important one. It is important for families throughout the length and breadth of the country, and for the 1.2 million children who will be in receipt of €100. I have to say that the Government and the Minister have really stepped up to the plate over the past year or two since the pandemic and the hardship it has caused. The Government has responded, and the Minister has outlined here the generosity of the taxpayer to the people and the country. This would not be possible at all were it not for the fact that the economy is in such a good state. We can see going forward that the economy is in a healthy state. That is through prudence and good management over the past number of years. When one considers the difficulties this country has had over the past ten or 12 years, starting with the financial crash in 2010 and through the pandemic and everything else, one sees that great credit is due to the Government for its response.

The Minister has spelled out all of the things her Department has brought forward in relation to cost-of-living expenses and has given to hard-pressed people and families. These include €140 per child per month, and the €100 bonus for which provision is made in this Bill. The Minister also outlined that the hot school meals programme will be extended to all DEIS schools from September, benefiting 64,500 children. This is a great provision. There is nothing like young kids having a hot meal. When I went to national school, we brought a bottle of tea with us, which was put in front of the fire to keep it warm until lunchtime. This is a great provision because, as we well know, in many disadvantaged areas, they do not get hot meals and proper meals. This is a great provision. There is a school in Carlow someplace where they cook their own meals on site and kids have a nap. They can order their food and meals a week in advance. They look forward to whatever meal they are going to have the following Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, for example. They cancel if they are not going to be at school or if they are away on holiday or whatever. This is an area where perhaps the Department can co-operate with the Department of Education. I was impressed by what the principal of the Carlow school said on RTÉ – I do not know the name of the school offhand - about having looked at various schemes in other countries. It is an area that should be checked.

Another issue I wish to raise was brought to my attention in the past week. A young girl was working for a number of years in a business and she changed jobs. Next week she will take up another job. In the intervening period, she was called for jury service. There was no obligation on either the old or new employer to pay her when she was doing the jury service. She outlined her predicament to the Courts Service. Her request was refused. She said she could not afford to be a week without pay. She was also refused social welfare. This is a girl who has paid her PAYE and PRSI over a number of years. It is an anomaly in the whole jury service set-up between the Courts Service, the Department of Social Protection and the employment services. It is an area of social welfare that could be looked at.

Lynn Boylan (Sinn Fein)
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Will the Senator stick to the Bill?

Paddy Burke (Fine Gael)
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Yes. As we have the Minister for Social Protection here, I will briefly-----

Lynn Boylan (Sinn Fein)
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The Senator can table a Commencement matter on the issue.

Paddy Burke (Fine Gael)
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It is a pity that this girl missed out on a week’s wages. She cannot afford it. She has a lot of commitments. It is an area that should be looked at. It is important that people do jury service. It is a duty and service to the State. I know that the Minister will look at it.

Eugene Murphy (Fianna Fail)
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The Acting Chairperson is looking well and decisive in the Chair.

Tá fáilte roimh an Aire. It is great to have her here. We had a great day in Roscommon with her recently. She gave us lots of money and we gave her lots of tea and buns as well. It was a great day for all.

Fianna Fáil supports this Bill brought forward by the Minister for Social Protection. The Minister requests to invoke Article 25.2.2° of the Constitution to request an early signature from the President once the Bill has passed through the Seanad and to seek a waiver from pre-legislative scrutiny as it is a budgetary matter, as the Minister pointed out. The measure will enable the Minister for Social Protection to ensure that a lump sum child benefit payment of €100 per child is paid in June of this year at an additional approximate cost of €122 million. In the challenging times we have, this will be very welcome to many families. The cost-of-living child benefit bonus payment of €100 will be paid to approximately 649,000 families in respect of approximately 1.2 million children at a cost of about €120 million.

The Government is acutely aware of the effect that high energy prices and the cost of living are having on families, businesses and the most vulnerable in our society. In recognition of those ongoing challenges, the Government agreed a new €1.2 billion package of measures in February to put money back into people’s pockets, help with their Bills and ensure there is no cliff-edge for the temporary measures already in place. The Government’s decision on 21 February provides that, inter alia, a lump sum payment will be made, as I mentioned. This is an important move and it is important money. I compliment the Minister and the Government for what they are trying to do at a very challenging time for many families. We all know that in all our constituencies, it is a challenging time. Some people on low to medium wages are finding it difficult as well. It is important that measures such as this can be brought forward to help in some way. To date, the Government has put a considerable package in place to help people.

I heard Senator Burke speak about the extension of the school meals scheme. What the Minister is doing there is excellent. I think we all agree in this House that we have to try to extend that further. It is important to keep all those schemes in place. Sometimes, the Government has to look down the road to see whether it can service them into the future. We should be able to do that for the years to come, with the tax take that is coming in now. I also welcome the major Government decision on schoolbooks. That is a huge thing again. It is a big cost on families. That has gone down very well with the public also. I am a little concerned about the lower rate of excise on petrol, diesel and gas oil. I know that was a temporary measure when it was brought in, but obviously it will be tapered out over the coming months and we will see some significant increases there. The only hope we can have is that the prices on the oil markets might come down and, in that way, the blow to the public could be in some way alleviated.

All in all, this is a good evening. It is good move and it is necessary. Let us hope that we can have some other measures like this to help those who are vulnerable at the moment and, as I think we all accept, need our support.

Mark Wall (Labour)
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The Labour Party supports this Bill, as we did in the Lower House. The purpose of the Bill is to give legislative effect to the child benefit summer bonus of €100 for each qualifying child. That is very welcome. Many families are struggling. The Minister said that in her speech and she is recognising that by giving those families an additional €100.

I wish to ask one question on child benefit. It is an issue that comes up to me through the constituency office on a regular basis. As we are aware, those who are 18 do not get child benefit even if they are in full-time education. Has the Department considered allowing those still in secondary school who are 18 to get the benefit of child benefit? It is an issue that is brought up with me on a regular basis. We have asked this question and discussed this matter previously. Given the situation in the country at the moment and the fact that the Government is providing this additional €100, I ask the Department to consider this. It is hard to explain to parents in particular who come into my clinics – and I am sure to the Minister’s clinics – that they are not entitled to child benefit even though they are paying out a considerable amount for schoolbooks and whatever else they are paying for. Perhaps the Minister might reply to my question.

This is a good news story and it has to be acknowledged as such. Some €100 will make a difference to families that are struggling. That is to be encouraged.

I also acknowledge the hot meals programme, which I have spoken to the Minister about before. It is welcome that she is extending it to all DEIS schools. There are a number of such schools in my area and I see the benefit of this. I see the school vans delivering the hot meals each day. I have seen the benefit of that with those coming to my clinic. It is also acknowledged by the parents. We all should acknowledge and welcome it. The question is whether we will extend it beyond the schools in the DEIS programme. What are the plans for that? It is a great start and I am acknowledging it as such, but there are other primary school children attending school at the moment and unfortunately not in a position to have that hot meal. I welcome some comment from the Department on whether it has looked at extending it further. I acknowledge, once again, that it is an important step forward that all DEIS schools will qualify.

Like everyone else, the Labour Party completely supports this short Bill. If the Minister could respond to my queries when she comes back in on it, it would be appreciated.

Lynn Boylan (Sinn Fein)
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Sinn Féin supports the legislation. It is a welcome help for those families who are really struggling.

Today, we all listened to the commentary on the Barnardos report that was released, which outlined the harsh reality for many families living in poverty in this country. It is a wealthy country and no family should be subject to what we heard in the findings of that report.

Likewise, yesterday, at a meeting of the Joint Committee on Environment and Climate Action, we heard the Society of St. Vincent de Paul highlighting that its calls have increased by 40% in the past number of months and people are really struggling to makes end meet. Any help at all is, of course, welcome.

On that note, I will merely say that Sinn Féin absolutely supports this legislation.

Eileen Flynn (Independent)
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I welcome the €100 increase in child benefit.

I see people struggling on the ground on a daily basis. They are leaving food behind in shopping centres. We see it all the time. The Government says it is the increase in the cost of living and how it impacts on people, but I see a lot of greed in the shops. In local communities as well, I could go to one shop in a certain area where a bottle of Lucozade is a €1 and right across the road, the bottle of Lucozade is €2. We have to look at that. We also have to look at the greed that is around us.

While I welcome what the Minister said about this being a short Bill, and any family welcomes that €100 increase for every child, we have to look beyond as well if someone has a child with a disability. We speak at the Joint Committee on Disability Matters about the cost of a child having a disability. How do we support parents with one child or two children, or even three children, who have a disability?

It would be wrong for me not to mention people living in direct provision. We should not have direct provision. Of course, I acknowledge and understand what is going on in Europe. We have seen people fleeing, as we have not seen since the Second World War. However, there are parents in direct provision not having a way of feeding their children. Of course, the cost of living has gone up for us all but it has had a greater impact on people who are seeking international protection, people living in direct provision and, of course, very poor communities.

I welcome the Bill. It is something positive that all parents would welcome.

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Senators for their contributions. I will respond to a few of the issues raised.

Senator Burke raised the issue of jury service and a specific case there. I am happy to look at that. I can get further details from him and I will follow up on that.

The Senator mentioned the hot school meals programmes and where some schools cook on site and some schools get the meals delivered and they are hot when they arrive - they are in containers. Senator Wall raised that as well. By the end of this year, the plan is that all DEIS schools will be able to avail of the hot school meals programme. In addition, I have sent out a request for interest from all primary schools which may wish to enter into the hot school meals programme. It will take a couple of years to roll that out but my ambition is that any child born today should be able to have a hot school meal by the time he or she enters primary school. It is ambitious but this is a very successful programme.

I visited Artane when I launched the programme and the teachers could not speak highly enough about it. It is a great equaliser because every child in that school, regardless of where he or she came from, sat down at the table. They actually turned their chairs round and faced each other, had their dinner and had a conversation. It is a great scheme. I am fully supportive of it. They are able to choose their lunch the previous week and they can decide what menu they want. We monitor it every year to make sure it is good, healthy food that these children are getting. It is a great success. It has been something that I have promoted since I became Minister. It started off with 30 schools and now we are up to 500 schools, and I want to see it rolled out to all primary schools.

On the secondary schools, the DEIS secondary schools have it. Secondary schools are somewhat different because they have an option to get hot school dinners and they can be cooked on site. It is a different option for them. Some want to cook them. For the primary schools, it is delivered, it is hot, your name is on the dinner and you just get it. There is not a huge amount of extra work to it apart from collecting the empty cartons when they were finished. There is no waste. They are all cleaned, and that is good as well.

To move on to Senator Murphy, of course, I had a great day in Roscommon. It was great to see the community in full action there. I am just back today from County Meath. It would do your heart good to see what people right across this country are doing in terms of volunteerism, what they are doing in their communities and how we are helping them to realise their ambition and their vision for their particular areas. I have been around communities. I have been in libraries. I was in remote working hubs today. It is the same all over the country and it is very positive stuff.

Senator Wall also raised the issue around the child in full-time education. Parents who are on low incomes may be able to avail of a number of social welfare schemes that support children in full-time education until the age of 22, including the increase for a qualified child with primary social welfare payments, the working family payment for low-paid employees with children and the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance. These are specifically targeted schemes. However, I take on board the point the Senator made because having a child in full-time education is expensive. In fairness, the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Simon Harris, has reduced fees. For those children who maybe do not start school now until they are five, when they turn 18 they are in sixth year. They have transition year now and it means that their child benefit stops whenever they reach that age. It is something that I will look at but that will be a matter for the budget. I take on board the points the Senator made.

I thank the Senators for the support that they have given me on this. I appreciate it. In closing, I assure this House that supporting families with young children is a priority of this Government and we will continue to target reductions in child poverty and to support other vulnerable groups during these pressing economic times. I will continue to work with this House to ensure that we have a flexible and adaptive social protection system that is best placed to respond to the needs of our society. The views of Members are a valuable input in determining policy in this area and, as ever, I will take into account these views in formulating future actions on the part of Government.

Lynn Boylan (Sinn Fein)
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When is it proposed to take Committee Stage?

Paddy Burke (Fine Gael)
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Now.

Lynn Boylan (Sinn Fein)
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Is that agreed? Agreed.