Increases in child benefit announced in the Budget will not be enough to buy an extra loaf of bread and a pint of milk a week, children's charity Barnardos has said.
The Minister for Finance announced an increase in child benefit of €8 for the first and second child and of €10 for subsequent children.
"This budget is more remarkable for what it doesn't do, than for what it does. Mr Owen Keenan, Chief Executive of Barnardos said.
"This budget does not honour the commitment to increase child benefit, no increase in child dependent allowance - for the 9th year in a row, it doesn't extend the medical card scheme to all children, no increase the back to school allowance for under 12 year olds, says nothing about affordable housing and nothing about school meals."
"Barnardos recognises that governments often have to make hard economic and political choices, but we believe that the thinking and commitment of the Government in relation to the National Children's Strategy now needs to be explained to its most important constituency, children in Ireland. Nothing less will do," Mr Keenan added.
