The next budget may include a measure that will increase the amount of monthly Child Benefit paid to mothers for a third or subsequent child. This would be a response to falling birth rates in the country. The fertility rate has now fallen to 1.5 children per couple, well below the replacement level of 2.1.
The Government is considering introducing a higher Child Benefit for poorer families, but also a further boost where a family has three or more children.
A source told The Irish Independent: “Child birth rates are down in Ireland and globally, so do we look at increasing [Child Benefit] from the third child up? We may yet become like Hungary and have incentives to have more children.”
The monthly Child Benefit is currently €140 per child.
Aontu leader, Peadar Toibin, gave the proposal a cautious welcome but believes it would only be “window dressing” unless bigger obstacles to starting a family are addressed, such as the cost of housing.
He also said that we need to reduce the number of abortions taking place in Ireland.
He told The Irish Catholic: “We have seen abortions hugely increase to 10,000 a year which is no doubt having a significant effect on the birthrate, we have seen families unable to afford to buy homes – which means many families are delaying having children. We have seen the cost of living increase to such a level that many families feel that they can’t afford to have children.
“While it is a positive idea to provide an increase in Child Benefit for larger families I think the Government is only tinkering around the edges until they start to focus on those three major issues: We need to reduce the number of abortions that happen in Ireland significantly, we need to make sure that families can buy a home earlier so that they can have their children, and the cost of living crisis needs to be addressed – especially in terms of childcare.”
