Thousands of EU migrant workers are entitled to an income supplement worth an average of more than €100 a week for their families, even if their children are resident in their home country, it has emerged.
The Department of Social and Family Affairs has embarked on a national campaign to increase awareness of the Family Income Supplement (Fis), which is directed at working families on low incomes.
As with rules applying to the child benefit, the Department has confirmed that the family supplement is also available to EU migrant workers resident here who have children either here or at home.
The eligibility of accession-country workers to child benefit and the new early childcare supplement for children who are not resident in the State became a hotly debated political issue last month when Fine Gael claimed it could cost the State an extra €150 million.
Unpublished figures compiled in conjunction with the Revenue Commissioners, and seen by The Irish Times, show that the average income of workers from accession countries is within the income threshold for eligibility to the income support.
The cost of paying Fis to families cost the State just over €72 million last year. This is expected to rise if there is a major response to the Department's awareness campaign.
The weekly payment, which varies between €20 and €400 depending on family size and income, is being paid to 17,000 families at present.
However, independent experts estimate this figure accounts for just 40 per cent of those eligible for the income support. It is not clear if this figure includes migrant workers here with children in their country of origin.
