Pádraic McCormack
Ceist:66 Mr. McCormack asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if the child dependent allowance will be amended to just one rate applicable to all children; and her plans to address this anomaly. [4870/03]
Vol. 561 No. 6
66 Mr. McCormack asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if the child dependent allowance will be amended to just one rate applicable to all children; and her plans to address this anomaly. [4870/03]
There are currently three different weekly rates of child dependant allowances payable to social welfare recipients, €16.80, €19.30 and €21.60. Since the time of the Report of the Commission on Social Welfare, which recommended a rationalisation of the rates of child dependant allowances, the number of different rates has been reduced from 36 to the current three. While further rationalisation could allow the introduction of a common rate, the gains from this approach would have to be weighed against the costs. To bring all child dependant allowances up to the highest rate currently paid would cost in the order of €57 million annually.