Child benefit conditions appropriate - Cullen

It would be irresponsible not to attach conditions relating to child benefit for people coming to live in the Republic, Minister for Social and Family Affairs Martin Cullen said.

He said those who were refused child benefit were mainly people whose claim to asylum had not yet been decided, others who had not obtained a work permit, or people who had only a minimal or no attachment to the workforce since coming to Ireland.

"In the case of families in the asylum process, direct provision, funded by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, is available, ensuring that the rights and welfare of the children are protected." He was satisfied, he said, that the habitual residence condition was achieving its intended purpose, allowing access to social welfare schemes to people who were genuinely and lawfully making Ireland their habitual residence, while preventing unwarranted access by people who had little or no connection with the State.

He was replying to Fine Gael spokeswoman Olwyn Enright, who asked why the Minister believed it was achieving the purpose for which it was intended, which he had admitted was in connection with EU enlargement.

"Excluding people from those countries from receiving the child benefit payment was found to be contrary to EU law. Now those people are automatically included. Only approximately 3,000 children of asylum seekers are affected by this."