“These comments are unpopular – I accept that. The reality is the books have to balance, and the bills have to be paid.”
Fine Gael councillor David McManus has defended calling the child benefit paid to all parents a “subsidy for them to have sex”.
The South Dublin County Councillor said that Ireland is currently paying €140 a month child benefit payments to all families, including high earners.
McManus added that he believes that these social welfare payments should be limited to “those who need it”.
“When money is scarce, my view is, you give it to those who most need it,” he said on Local Voices, a podcast from Dublin newspaper, The Echo.
“Child benefit goes to every child in the country, we’re giving child benefit to families on high wages, people on €100,000 a year. It’s like a subsidy for them to have sex.”
On Tuesday’s Newstalk Breakfast, McManus defended his recent comments, saying they were “evocative and a figure of speech”.
“It may cause offence, but that was not my intention. If I didn’t put it that way, we probably wouldn’t be having this discussion,” he said.
“But I believe it’s a valid point that welfare payments should be going to those who really, really need it.
“These comments are unpopular – I accept that. The reality is the books have to balance, and the bills have to be paid.
“There are two schools in my area… the two schools are next door to each other, but one is not getting the hot meals programme as the programme is oversubscribed.
“I want all DEIS schools to get the resources they need, but to be very, very straight about it, I don’t believe wealthy families should be getting child benefit.”
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