Patrick Nulty (Dublin West, Labour)
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180. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if the present rates of child benefit will be maintained in Budget 2014; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23334/13]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The importance of child and family income supports is underlined by the fact that in 2013 my Department will spend over €2.8 billion on supports to families and children through payments such as Child Benefit, the Family Income Supplement, qualified child increases on weekly social welfare payments, and the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance. This accounts for approximately 14 per cent of expenditure on social protection.

The Revised Estimates for my Department provide for expenditure of €1.912 billion on child benefit in 2013 or 9.4% of total expenditure.

The Deputy will be aware that the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform's Expenditure Report 2013 published last December provides for additional new expenditure reduction measures of €440 million to be achieved in 2014 in the Department of Social Protection budget.

The Government have not made any decisions to date in relation to measures to be introduced in 2014, including measures relating to child and family income supports such as Child Benefit.