Pádraic McCormack (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Question 187: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the status of the NESC research into the development of a second tier payment targeted at children from low income families; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31850/06]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The National Economic and Social Council was asked to examine the feasibility of merging the family income supplement and child dependant allowance into a second tier child income support. Such a payment would be aimed specifically at targeting child poverty by channelling resources to low-income families without creating significant disincentives to employment. NESC has indicated that, as the proposed second tier income support represents a new approach to targeting, the issues involved are complex and there are technical and policy challenges to be overcome. The Council has stated its analysis of the issues which I believe will be of significant assistance in informing the future direction of child income support policy.

In addition, the latest Partnership agreement, Towards 2016, includes a Government commitment to progressing, as a priority, further work aimed at assisting children in families on low incomes, to include enhancing existing provisions or the introduction of new or reformed mechanisms.