Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 22 Oct 2003

Vol. 573 No. 1

Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.

Liz McManus

Ceist:

84 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the way in which she proposes to ensure that mothers who give birth to a second child and subsequent children will have their new babies automatically added to their child benefit payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24211/03]

Minister for Social and Family Affairs (Mary Coughlan)

The administrative and other arrangements needed to bring about the automatic payment of child benefit in the cases cited by the Deputy have already been developed and a significant number of families have already benefited by receiving child benefit payments automatically in respect of their newly born children.

This has been made possible through developments in my Department and related developments affecting the capture and use of life event data.

The first element in the change programme underpinning these arrangements is my Department's service delivery modernisation programme which is designed to facilitate a more proactive and integrated approach to service delivery. The re-design of the child benefit computer system represents the first phase of this modernisation programme.

The second element is the modernisation of the civil registration service and, in particular, the computerisation of records of births, marriages and deaths, which is being undertaken on a joint basis by my Department and the Department of Health and Children.

The third element is the ability to use electronic birth registration data for claim purposes. This involved the development of an inter-agency messaging service, IAMS, by the REACH agency, which will facilitate the sharing of life event data with other Departments and agencies. The IAMS now enables my Department to use electronic birth registration data for child benefit claim purposes.

These projects are key building blocks underpinning the integration of public service delivery and e-government objectives of providing more convenient access to services.

Under the new arrangements, the General Registrar's Office, which is responsible for life event data, notifies my Department when the birth of a child is registered. My Department issues a personal public service number, PPSN, in respect of the child which will be the person's unique identifier in accessing public services. In the case of a first child, the mother is issued with a partially-completed child benefit application form and asked to complete the balance which will include details of her preferred method of payment. In the case of a second or subsequent child, the new child will be added automatically to the existing claim and payment will be issued automatically. The mother will also be notified, by post, that payment has been issued in respect of the new child.

These arrangements are already in operation in the Cork area and will be expanded, progressively, as the on-line registration of births is extended to other areas.

Question No. 85 answered with Question No. 77.