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LAST UPDATE | 1 Oct 2024
MINISTER FOR SOCIAL Protection Heather Humphreys has defended the provision of two double child benefit payments to all families with children this year.
Humphreys said it a family doesn’t need the additional child benefit payments they can give them back.
As part of Budget 2025, an unprecedented two double child benefit payments will be made before Christmas this year, one in November and one in December.
Last year, one double child benefit payment was paid.
Think-tank Social Justice Ireland has criticised the decision to rely on one-off lump sum payments rather than increasing the monthly rate to support low income families.
During a press conference this afternoon, Minister Humphreys was asked what her response is to people who say there is an element of ‘waste’ with these additional payments and that they should have been targeted to families who really need them.
“I wouldn’t see too many people that don’t need it. You might think a lot of people don’t need it, well, if they don’t need it they can give it back,” Humphreys said.
The minister explained the government’s rationale for the decision and said the reason for the two double payments this year is because last year’s payment was “extremely, extremely popular”.
“There’s a lot of pressure on families, let’s face it…Many people said to me that it was a real boost coming up to Christmas,” Humphreys said.
She made the point that the separate child support payment (formerly the Increase for A Qualified Child) is a targeted measure for low income families.
When asked if she accepts that some families are in a position to save their child benefit payment when other families rely on it for day-to-day spending, driving further inequality in society, Minister Humphreys said:
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I worked in a credit union for years and people say, ‘oh, millionaires get it [child benefit]‘, I didn’t see too many millionaires. I saw a lot of parents that were damn glad of it. And that’s my view on it. It’s a universal payment, and I can see that it’s a benefit to families, and it helps them.”
When the minister was then asked if many millionaires are typically saving in credit unions, Humpreys said: “Well I saw a few boys with plenty of money”.
“I get this every year. I told you, I worked in the credit union for many years. I didn’t see many millionaires coming in the door. I saw people coming in that door that needed that payment.
“It’s a universal payment. And if you start means tested, you have winners, you love losers.
It has that universal aspect to it and I’m happy that it continues that way,” the Minister said.
It is possible to return unwanted child benefit payments to the Department but it is understood that very few families do.
In an interview with The Journal, Humphrey’s comments were put to Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe.
Donohoe said it is a matter for individuals if they want to give the child benefit payment back to the state, as suggested by Humphreys.
"A small few may not need it, but the vast majority do"
— TheJournal.ie (@thejournal_ie) October 1, 2024
Minister Paschal Donohoe is asked about Heather Humphreys' suggestion that those who don't need the double child benefit payment can give it back. #Budget2025 pic.twitter.com/Jc7QVchhiX
“This is a measure that is targeted towards those who have children. A small few may not need it, the vast majority do,” Donohoe said.
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Thanks google. Thanks for starting a world where people walk around recording each other. I will never wear these.
Should read.
“Silly Virgin Atlantic press release, amounts to vast amounts of free advertising”
Minority Report meets Skynet
Time for infrared necklaces for everyone so you can protect your identity.
Welcome to the world of tomorrow
I’m a tech geek at heart and this technology is really cool BUT people have to be realistic and open there eyes, this is potentially one of the worst things to ever hit the self’s, privacy as we know it will be gone and our kids will never no what it is! Once its gone it will never come back, Scott Barry style
Fyi tech geeks tend to have good grammar and spelling.
The thing I’m dreading most about this technology is women walking down the street behind me checking out my sweet little ass.
It gives them the capability to perv on me when I’m not even around!
Yeah because you can’t walk around recording people on you phone this last ten years.
Good one Adebayo.
Big difference in phone recording and these glasses. A few examples, your on a beach with your toddler and some stranger starts pointing a phone at your child filming them. If your a vigilant parent your going to notice this and one way or another put a stop to it and make other people aware of a potential pervert in your midst. Beach full of people lots wearing glasses any sicko can now do this unnoticed. Burgler scoping out your house standing with phone risk of being seen. Burgler walking slowly along with glasses on no problem. Taking cash out at an ATM using card in shop etc person with glasses good chance they can zoom in on your pin. Seriously dangerous piecof technology in the wrong hands and that’s aside from everyday invasions of privacy.
Soz, only seeing this now as you didn’t hit reply. Walking around with a phone outstretched pointing in someones face since 2004 isnt something I have seen too much of, in day to day life, like transactions at a till etc but hey maybe I haven’t been paying attention.
PIN numbers are so last year love! We have fingerprint scanners here in Brazil now no need for a PIN number so don’t be worrying!
*On all ATM machines
I foresee (sorry!) terrible eye problems down the line if these become the norm.
I remember these from ‘Beyond 2000′!
Welcome to the future. Bare in mind that the airlines have been the test bed for realtime transactions and date analysis since the 1960′s.
I like Virgin Atlantic. I flew here via London from SFO. Treated like a human being. Wonderful staff. Comfortable seats (and I’m 6’4″, 210lbs). The other airlines should pay attention to VA. They know how to treat people.
The glasses? Couldn’t care less. The terminal is plastered with cameras anyway.
have your say