New Proposals To Cut Child Benefit Are Outrageous

Published: Sunday, September 30, 2012

The National Women's Council of Ireland calls on Minister Burton to provide clarity with regard to new proposals to cut Child Benefit and to make publicly available the Report on Child Income Supports of the Tax and Welfare Advisory Group.

Orla O'Connor, Director of the NWCI said:

"Proposals to cut Child Benefit by €40 per month are outrageous. Now more than ever low and middle income families are relying on Child Benefit as an essential part of household budgets. Any attempts to reform Child Benefit must take into account the costs that parents are paying for children, including food, educational, medical and childcare costs. Childcare costs in Ireland remain one of the highest in the EU. An OECD report in 2010 showed that households with young children in Ireland spend on average 41 per cent of their income on childcare."

She continued:

"Child Benefit has been repeatedly cut as a result of austerity and the NWCI in supporting mothers will oppose any further cut to the payment. It is important that Child Benefit remain a universal payment and at current levels which only represents a contribution to the costs of raising children today.

The NWCI is calling on the Minister to provide clarity with regard to the proposals to change Child Benefit, to publish the Report on Child Income Supports of the Tax and Welfare Advisory Group and have it publically debated. It must be understood by the Government that families are relying on every penny and any tentative announcements cause unnecessary additional stress on families and mothers who are already struggling to pay the bills and juggle staying in work with raising families. "

For more information, contact Silke Paasche, Communications Officer, NWCI:

Tel. 085 858 9104