John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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192. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the safeguards in place by his Department to ensure that the child benefit payment is not abused, in that parents do not receive the payment for children who do not reside here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32555/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Child Benefit is a universal payment made to parents/guardians for the support of their children. It is paid to some 615,000 families in respect of 1.19 million children, with an expenditure of approximately €1.9 billion in 2015.

Safeguarding the child benefit payment is a priority and the Department takes a proactive approach to ensuring that it is only paid to eligible families. A policy of issuing continuing eligibility certificates to parents commenced in 2008 and is still in operation; forming part of the overall review process. The control policy is continuingly reviewed to ensure that the controls in place to prevent fraud and abuse continue to be effective and relevant. As a result additional control measures are devised and implemented as required.

For the purposes of EU regulations, Irish child benefit is classified as a family benefit and there are specific rules governing the payment of these benefits. EU nationals who come to work in Ireland but whose families reside in another EU member state may have an entitlement to family benefits in Ireland under EU regulations. As a member state of the European Union, Ireland is bound to apply these regulations in accordance with the objective of the EC Treaty regarding free movement of persons.

Consequently, child benefit is paid under EU Regulations in respect of children residing in another EU member state, when one or both parents/guardians are either employed and paying Irish social insurance or in receipt of an Irish contributory benefit or pension. Child benefit payments made under these regulations are also subject to the control programme, ensuring that payment only continues where Ireland remains the competent authority.