LABOUR SEEKS TO PROTECT CHILD BENEFIT
Issued : Wednesday 2 December, 2009
Speaking on the Labour Party Private Members Motion on Child Benefit, local Labour T.D Róisín Shortall, called on the Government to abandon plans to cut Child Benefit in the up-coming Budget.
Speaking in the debate Ms Shortall said, 'It is not good enough for the Government to claim that just because the bill for child benefit has now reached €2.5 billion, it must be cut. We must consider what child benefit is achieving and how cuts would adversely impact on thousands of families.
'Child benefit is a payment made to parents in recognition of the significant extra costs in rearing children, particularly in households with young children. Importantly, it provides protection against child poverty but does not create a poverty trap in doing so.
'It seems this Government has forgotten that families have already bourne the brunt of several cuts. The April budget shamelessly targeted families. It reduced mortgage interest relief; halved the early child care supplement and will abolish it from January. As a result of that, parents of young children will lose several thousand euro a year - as well as taking pay cuts and increases in levies along with other workers.
'The Labour Party accepts that adjustments worth €4 billion are required this year. However, it is disappointing that there are other revenue raising options available to the Government but it refuses to consider them.
'The reason the social welfare bill is so high is not that welfare is too generous but that there has been such an increase in unemployment. The obvious way to reduce the social welfare bill is to get people back to work and safeguard jobs.
