The Minister for Social Protection Regina Doherty has confirmed that the current children’s Allowance payment will not be subjected to a means test.
Ms Doherty who was speaking on RTE’s Today Programme with Sean O’Rourke, said the idea of means testing the payment was cumbersome and therefore she wouldn’t support such action.
It is thought Ms Doherty’s comments come after previous reports suggested that the Social Protection Minister was considering reviewing the current threshold and cut the payment for those who earn over €100,000 annually.
However despite admitting there were a number of issues with the childcare system in Ireland, Ms Doherty said, given that the lack of support in childcare for women across the country, she fully believes that all children should be treated equally and therefore a means test on the payment would not be sufficient.
The latest decision will be more than likely welcomed by parents as they currently recieve €140 per month in child benefit payments up until their child turns 16.