They will benefit from the extension of the fuel allowance. And they will benefit from the tax changes in the budget. These reliefs show the government's commitment to reducing the tax burden on pensioners. Our aim must be to remove the vast majority of pensioners on modest incomes from the tax net altogether. Our Constitution commits us to cherishing all the children of this nation equally.
Child benefit is a universal benefit paid directly into the hands of parents.
As such, it is the most efficient and most effective way in which the Government can channel help to children. Ireland is now a very prosperous and successful country by international standards. We have the resources to achieve great things if we really want to do so. When it comes to children I believe, and this Government believes, that we should set our ambitions very high. Child poverty should have no place in modern Irish society.