AMONG THE MEASURES included in the controversial Social Welfare Bill, due to be approved by the Dáil this afternoon, is a proposed cut to child benefit payments.

The Budget measures would see child benefit rate cut to €130 per month for each of the first three children.

The Department of Social Welfare is cutting spending by about €1 billion in 2013, from €14.1 billion to €13.1 billion – with the budget for child benefit payments to be cut by about 6.5 per cent, from €2.04 billion to €1.91 billion.

Joan Burton has previously expressed a preference to make child benefit subject to income tax, but that Ireland doesn’t currently have the IT systems to put that in place.

The Budget needed to cut spending by €2.25 billion, and the cuts to child benefit will cover a significant chunk of it – but if you are a TD voting on that today, would you vote in favour of the cut?

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