Proposed changes to child benefit for foreign nationals
Created Thursday, 22nd October 2009, 09:45 by whykay
(NOTE: This is a migrated article from the old IBC blog)
Aside from reduction of child benefit of foreign nationals, to help reduce fraud, the Social and Family Affairs Oireachtas Committee proposes:-
- A crackdown on separated fathers who do not pay child maintenance for their children. This would include ensuring a father’s name is registered on a child’s birth certificate – which is not mandatory at present – to help recovery of maintenance payments.
- A mandatory national ID card with biometric information for all citizens – similar to those other EU states – to help tackle identity fraud.
- Implementing long-standing plans to reform the lone parents allowance which would axe the “cohabitation rule” that recipients must not be living with a partner.
- More frequent monitoring of welfare schemes that are most susceptible to fraud, including the jobseekers’ allowance and lone-parent payments.
- More unannounced home visits to social welfare claimants to help tackle fraud.
(Source: The Irish Times)