Michael Noonan (Limerick East, Fine Gael)
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Question 22: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of children for whom the child dependent allowance is being granted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43299/06]

John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Question 37: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if it is his intention to introduce a second tier child income support payment once the NESC proposals have been finalised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43271/06]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 22 and 37 together.

In the context of the partnership agreement 'Sustaining Progress', 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's analysis of these issues will, I believe, be of significant assistance in informing the future direction of child income support policy.

In advance of NESC the examination of the new second tier support to be finalised, a range of other reforms, increased welfare supports and expanded child-centred services are all combining to make significant progress in tackling child poverty. The most recent figures show that at least 100,000 children have been lifted out of deprivation and hardship inside the last decade as a result of targeted measures and supports. These include, in addition to the substantial increases in each Budget in child benefit rates in recent years which directly benefit over one million children, increases in Budget 2007 of from €9 to €111 a week for families on Family Income Supplement which is being claimed by over 21,100 families, increasing the average payment, per child, to €50 per week; the €60 per child increase in the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance which benefits some 85,000 families and the €1,000 a year Early Childcare Supplement which benefits over 396,000 children, a third of whom are the children of lone parents.

Also, the increase in all three child dependant allowance rates to €22 from January 2007 will benefit 342,000 children at a cost of €56.13 million in a full year.