In his address to the Seanad, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that the ESRI suggestion to introduce a second tier of means-tested child benefit has 'real merit'.
A proposal to create a second tier of means-tested child benefit has “real merit” and will be examined by Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys, the Taoiseach has confirmed.The Economic and Social Research Institute recently suggested that another rate of means-tested child benefit could lift 50,000 children out of poverty.
“The Budget is a critical moment in which the Government articulates its ambition for the coming year,” he said. “Such a change would not be possible to introduce by January 2024. Further work will have to be undertaken to ensure no unintended consequences, as identified by the ESRI itself. At the Fine Gael think-in in Limerick a fortnight ago, Minister Humphreys appeared to pour cold water on the idea of a second-tier for child benefit, saying such a mechanism already exists.“If it's means tested, that means if you're under a certain income, that you get an extra payment every week.
Following the Taoiseach’s speech, senior Government sources once again stressed that it will not be possible to introduce it as part of Budget 2024. They added that it is not possible to say when the second rate could be introduced.
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