€100k??? Maybe aim a little lower there. Family income above €75k per year more like.

What about 2 earners in one household earning 95,000 each. Seems like they would still be eligible?

pens and pencils ,rulers etc are not provided you have to get those yourself, but as you say ,hot meals are and this is one big area where Ireland should take a leaf from the u.k system. the gov’t is always banging on about healthy eating and child obesity yet every break time ,dinnertime you see thousands of kids down at the local chipper or shop buying food that the govt considers as unhealthy, free school meals would as you say ensure that children have at least one decent meal per day at a subsidized cost, after all the taxpayer subsidies the restaurants and bars in the Dail and the Seaned, so why not for the schools? as for free dental and medical care for children, this was proven to save millions in future health costs. Most of this will never happen here because of the cronyism that exists not only at govt level but at local level too.

along with the abortion issue that has taken over 20 years since the x case to make a decision on, this just shows how much power and influence the church still has over Irish politics, some people in high positions in our education system seem to think that they are the morel guardians of the whole country. on some issues we are still living in the 1950’s.

Marion,
These insects don’t understand the concept of ‘shame’,. They hail form an institution that allowed and hid decades of child sexual rape. How the hell does a dimwit whose mental conditioning is wedded to the mpost hypocritical form of superstition get to run a school anyway? The girl will learn she’s better off getting educated elsewhere. I do hope she overcomes the vilie insult hurled at her by this superstitious, slack jawed,mouth breathing ape that is the school owner!

well said young sean! (but don’t tell barry)

Oh don’t feel sorry for me I’m fine it’s you people who expect the rest of the country to pay for your kids , and most of the money is pissed up against the wall that’s why pubs and off licence do deals on drinks on children’s allowance days

Get a life !! Oh I’m so sorry that I don’t agree with you , it’s my opinion and in my eyes it’s the right one and I’m sure your the same with your opinion but I don’t get personal I’m the bigger person

Lol what’s all that? Yes iv 2 kids 2 boys , and my mother died last year so no I can’t get from under her feet as you say,,so don’t be so childish with your comments and getting personal

Where is this free education you speak of? It cost me almost 2000 euro last year when my 2 children went to secondary school. 1000 for books, 700 for school uniform, school coat, school gloves and scarf (because they are not allowed use their own) and 300 “contribution” to the school. There were also miscellaneous costs throughout the year which came to a further 400 or 500. And this is a local VEC school, not a private school. There is no such thing as a free education in Ireland. You clearly have no first hand knowledge in this area.

Barry, you are either a total wind up merchant or just dont have a clue about life outside of your pond, we dont have any children either but we do have nephews and nieces and seeing how much it cost’s them just to get dressed for school is scary enough, 45 euro for a school jumper, 80 euro for shoes, 130 euro for a blazer which wont even be worn half the time or will be hidden under a large waterproof coat , 30euro for a shirt, 25 euro for the school tie, not allowed to wear any ordinary blue tie, it has to be the school issue one with the little logo on it , times this lot by three to allow for changing clothes during the week, and you’ve got a fair few bob to layout, thats before the books, the sports gear, the pens,pencils, calculators, there is NO FREE EDUCATION in this state. when the government implements proper free education to all, then it may be able to look at reducing child benefit.

I tell ya what, when you have kids you can write a letter to the social stating that you don’t want your childrens allowance caus my and everyone elses taxes are paying for it but then again we all know you wont!

Barry. Where u getting the free education for ur kids.books ,school bus ,school fees, special uniform,p.e.gear, outings,transition year expenses ,and then of course after all that grinds..we would have a very small population if we got it all costed first .

Barry, tell me more about this free education you speak of.

We won’t see poor hapless Barry back I’m betting. He’s just been owned.

@ Barry – just wondering how you feel about paying for the dole of all those who were and still are unemployed before the recession hit us? They are the ones who couldn’t be a€&@d to work! I don’t have a problem and I sympathise with those who lost their jobs and who r struggling to pay bills and feed/clothe their kids but not those who can’t be bothered to work!

Mind you don’t fall off that high horse Barry !! Maybe you can afford to give your CB back, but for many it prevents their children living in complete poverty. As a parent would you wish that on any child. This Government would be better reducing their over inflated salaries and pension schemes, not to mention reducing the numbers of TD’s…that would produce significant savings. Attitudes such as yours do nothing but illustrate the divide that is growing in Irish society.

You “would” give up your benefits? What’s the ‘if’ then? Go on, tell us, Ebeneezer… :)

Let me clarify; Barry says he “happily give up” his benefits. Spo I’m wondering why he doesn’t? Why don’t you, Barry, go down to the Welfare and write pout a check, and hand back your benefits? Surely you could come to some arrangement with the Revenue with regards to tax returns?

As a matter of interest Barry, who exactly are you employed by, with such narrow-minded, ignorant, uneducated views?

Barry did your mother give back your CB when u where a child if not u benifited like the rest, and u r way of about across the border.Should only wealthy people have kids??? who will b paying your pension in years to come!!

Again you seem to be talking about things you don’t know. In England, the school provide the books to the children and in the North, they also provide the uniforms. In America, you pay for private education, not for state education. And it’s not 300, it’s about 1000 per child. That is one of the reasons our child benefit is as high as it is. Also, we pay for doctors and dentists unlike our European neighbours…

your wrong Barry, in the u.k ALL reference books are provided by the school and kept in the school they are handed out at the start of each lesson and handed back in at the end, most u.k school that have a uniform ‘policy’ do not insist on parents buying uniforms in a select few shops,( as happens here), and most school ‘badges’ are of the sew on type that can be removed and re-used when an item of uniform is no of use. schools in the u.k don’t “ask” for donations towards the school as they do here ,these donations are really fees not donations, also in the u.k kids only bring to school the equipment that they need for that day’s lessons, here the kids have to haul around great big back packs full of every book’s and stuff that they wont even use that day. Ireland and its children would be far better served if some of the u.k’s system were introduced here.

What has childrens allowance got to do with being able to afford to have kid’s ? For most of us it’s all we get for year’s of working. Barry, did your mother hand her’s back ?

It really was a rhetorical question to highlight your ignorance.
And of course you are entitled to your opinion, but also in expressing it on a public forum entitled to have it challenged, even ridiculed, and your general assumptions exposed as incorrect.