Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Social Protection the total expenditure on the child benefit scheme in each of the past ten years, from 2002 to date in 2012. [48120/12]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The total expenditure on the child benefit scheme for each year from 2002 to 30 September, 2012 is set out in the table below.

The figure provided for 2012 is provisional and subject to audit by the office of the Comptroller and Auditor General.

Child Benefit Scheme

Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Social Protection when the child benefit scheme was first introduced and; the purpose and objectives of the scheme. [48123/12]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Child benefit is a universal payment paid in respect of all qualified children. The payment came into existence in 1986 and replaced the children’s allowance payment, which was first introduced in 1944. The estimated expenditure on child benefit for 2012 is around €2 billion in respect of some 1.15 million children.

A number of objectives have been attributed to the child benefit scheme and its precursor over the years. These objectives were reviewed as part of a policy and value for money review completed by the Department of Social Protection in November 2010. The review identified the primary objectives of child benefit as providing assistance to parents and others in meeting the cost associated with raising children and in contributing towards alleviating child poverty. The review also noted that the evolution of policy since the schemes introduction has also seen a number of secondary objectives emerge over time with varying significance, including the reduction of financial disincentives for parents to take up work; financial assistance with specific costs such as the cost of paid childcare; and the provision of an independent income source for women in the home. The review considered that the universal nature of child benefit allows it to fulfil a number of different roles and accommodate multiple objectives.