No Cuts to Child Benefit NWCI call on Minister to leave Child Benefit alone at Pre-Budget Forum 200

Published: Thursday, October 08, 2009

The National Women's Council of Ireland (NWCI) called on Minister for Social Family and Affairs, Mary Hanifan, TD not to cut Child Benefit in the forthcoming Budget, at the Department's Pre-Budget 2010 Forum in Dublin today (Friday 9th October, 09)

According to Orla O'Connor, in her presentation to the Forum; ''Child Benefit must remain a universal payment as it is the only payment paid directly to mothers to pay for all the costs relating to children - food, clothing, school books and uniforms and childcare.''

O'Connor went on to say that: ''Due to the lack of government policies to introduce a publicly subsidised childcare infrastructure, Child Benefit has become the 'one size fits all payment''.

''Cuts to Child Benefit will primarily hurt families on low incomes. Families are already being hit from all sides, by redundancies, reduced pay at work and no opportunity to put money by for once-off payments at Christmas or family emergencies. The Government needs to maintain a universal Child Benefit so that all families can continue to rely on it in these extremely difficult and uncertain times'', she concluded.