Brendan Smith Questions Child Benefit Administration
Brendan Smith questioned Mr Cusack about whether proposals or research have been put to the Department of Social Protection to change how child benefit is administered and highlighted the impact on families. Mr Cusack replied that he has engaged with the Department but that current legislation prevents any change, and that he has opened a petition to seek reform.
Key exchange
Brendan Smith opened the meeting by thanking Mr Cusack and asking whether any proposals had been submitted to the Department of Social Protection, or whether advocacy groups had provided research or views on altering governance or distribution of child benefit payments.
Department response
Mr Cusack said he could not speak for advocacy groups, that he had engaged with the Department on his own case, and that the Department’s position was the current legislation does not allow a change to the distribution of payments.
Legal barrier
Both speakers acknowledged that any change to how child benefit is distributed would require legislative amendment and that the Department could not alter the process without that change through the Houses.
Next steps and implications
Mr Cusack indicated he has opened a petition as the route he is pursuing to propose legislative change. The exchange underscores the procedural and legal limits that families and advocates face when seeking administrative changes to child benefit.
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I welcome Mr Cusick to our meeting and thank him for his presentation. Just a quick question because we all know the importance of child benefit and how important it is for families. Have you or anybody who shares your views put any particular proposals to the Department of Social Protection in regard to possible changes to the administration of the child benefit scheme or have any advocacy groups to your knowledge or other representative organisations done any particular research or put forward a view to the Department in relation to the possibility of changing the existing governance arrangements? Thank you Cathaoirleach. I guess just from the outset I wouldn't be in a position to speak on behalf of any advocacy groups and I'm not representing them so I wouldn't be able to give you any information in relation to any advocacy groups. I'm sure many may have but not in line or conjunction with anything I've done myself. In relation to my own situation and again speaking to some parents in a similar situation, I know a number of parents have kind of gone down different routes, different avenues in relation to the Department. I guess the current legislation doesn't really allow it to be changed from my understanding. So again it would take a change or a proposed change I guess in legislation to be able to I guess change the way the current payments are distributed. But again that's probably why the petition here at this point has been open from my perspective in view of trying to actually get that changed and that's the route I've kind of gone down. But I have engaged with the Department and again I'm well aware of what the current scenario is but again I guess personally I'm not in a position to really I guess change the legislation. Sorry I just missed you there, there was an interruption. Did you say Mr Cusick you didn't make representations or make a submission to the Department of Social Protection that is denying the Department in relation to this particular issue? Did I pick you up wrong? Sorry apologies. So I have been engaged with the Department on a number of different occasions. Again the communication back and forth that I've had with the Department, they've outlined the position that the current legislation does not allow for any transfer or change in the distribution I guess of the payments. So while I have been engaged with the Department, the current legislation is not something either myself or the Department can change. So I guess the current channels if you want for distribution remain as is currently and that's the reason I guess I'm looking at the petition as a way of changing it or at least proposing that change you would say. Thank you Mr Cusick but did the Department indicate that they were, were they doing any research or were they open to consideration of a difference arrangement? I know the Department if they make a decision to change then legislation needs to go through the houses here. We all appreciate that. But they didn't indicate that they were doing any particular work in relation to this issue did they to your recollection? I'll be quite honest with you there was no, the level of communication I got back from the Department was and in fairness was relatively personal I guess to my own situation. I didn't get a wider briefing in relation to any work that could be on behind the scenes so that's not something I'm aware of. Perfect. Thank you Mr Cusick.
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