At least 1,400 asylum-seeker children in the State are not entitled to receive any child benefit as a result of welfare restrictions aimed at migrant workers from accession member states, it has emerged.
The introduction of welfare restrictions, known as the habitual residency condition, ended the policy of universal child benefit payment to all children resident in Ireland since May 2004. This was introduced due to fears of "welfare tourism" among members of accession states.
However, the Government has confirmed child benefit restrictions do not apply to members of accession states as it is deemed a "family benefit" which must be paid to all EU citizens under European law.
As a result of a two-year residency clause, hundreds of children of asylum seekers and work permit workers are unable to claim child benefit on behalf of their children. At least 1,400 such children of asylum seekers and an unknown number of children of worker permit workers are denied benefits.
The Irish Refugee Council yesterday said such payments meant a relatively small group of children were at risk of falling into a "poverty trap" and called for the immediate reinstatement of the universal child benefit. The Department of Justice was unavailable to comment on the issue last night.
The only automatic payment asylum seekers in the direct provision system receive is a weekly cash payment of €19.10 per adult and €9.60 per child. Mothers can also apply for exceptional needs payments from community welfare officers for essentials such as nappies for babies or school uniforms for older children.
Héilean Rosenstock-Armie of the Irish Refugee Council said: "The best interests of the child should be paramount in this debate and child benefit as a universal payment should be reinstated. Exceptional needs payments for asylum seekers could then become truly exceptional, as child benefit would cover the child's essential needs."
She added: "Mothers have spoken in the media about saving their payments for weeks to purchase a blender to puree their child's food when the child moves on to solids or saving to try to substitute the child's diet with extra fruit or ethnic foods.
"A phone-card, too, is a luxury under direct provision and so the child loses the opportunity to keep in touch with close relatives in the country of origin, sometimes a parent and often a sibling."
The Children's Rights Alliance has also called for the reintroduction of the universal child benefit payment. Jillian van Turnhout said it was vital to ensure children were getting a fair and just payment which met their needs.
"We have children living here in Ireland who are living in a very rigid condition, who don't get the very simple basic things." It happened if the child was sick and the mother needed basic medicines that were not covered by the medical card, she told RTÉ radio this week. "Some of these are living in conditions that are not acceptable, and they should be getting child benefit. We [the Government] say it's a universal payment, but it's not, because there are children here living in Ireland who are not getting the payment."
