Groups come together in solidarity to fight cuts to Child Benefit in Budget 2010

Published: Wednesday, November 25, 2009

PRESS STATEMENT

1 MILLION REASONS TO OPPOSE CUTS TO CHILD BENEFIT

Groups come together in solidarity to fight cuts to Child Benefit

Immediate Release: Thurs, 26.11.09

A press conference jointly held today by OPEN, PACUB, The Children's Rights Alliance, The National Women's Council and One Family has unanimously called on the government to think carefully before cutting Child Benefit in the up-coming Budget.

Child Benefit was recognised this morning as 'essential', the 'only government support given to all families to help with the cost of raising their children', 'crucial in the fight against child poverty' and fundamentally 'children's money' and 'an essential support in paying childcare for working parents'.

Currently there are 1.15 million children and 593,233 families in receipt of child benefit in this country.

Both Fine Gael and the Labour Party who were in attendance at the conference, publicly declared their support for maintaining the universality and level of the current child benefit payment.

The 5 groups jointly called on Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Mary Hanafin TD to resist any cuts to child benefit for Budget 2010 stating that; 'Child Benefit must be kept at its current level as a universal payment, at a time when families throughout the country are struggling to make ends meet'.

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