Lenihan accused of publicity stunt

CHILDREN’S Minister Brian Lenihan was last night accused by Fine Gael of “misusing” up to €250,000 of taxpayers’ money on a publicity stunt.

The party’s family affairs spokesman David Stanton branded a nationwide mail-shot to parents about to receive early childcare supplements as pre-election campaigning at public expense.

Mr Lenihan dismissed the allegations, insisting that such information efforts often pay for themselves through the updated details they return from recipients.

Families will automatically receive payments of €1,000 for each child under six from August.

The flagship Budget initiative was unveiled in December and has sparked a major political row in recent weeks over the fact EU workers here will be able to claim it for children living in their home countries.

Mr Lenihan sent out a signed letter to parents in April detailing the entitlements at a cost of €28,014 for printing and €101,045 for postage. A follow-up letter is planned before August.

Fine Gael demanded the upcoming mail-shot be scrapped as it amounts to electioneering and is unnecessary given the publicity already generated.

“The Minister has misused over a quarter of a million euro of taxpayers’ money in yet another Fianna Fáil public relations stunt,” Mr Stanton said.

“There is absolutely nothing in these letters that parents don’t already know about the ECS,” he said.

Mr Lenihan hit back saying the information drive cost relatively little given the scale of the overall €350 million scheme and may actually lead to savings.

“I am informed by the Department of Social and Family Affairs that, from the experience of similar mailshots in the context of Child Benefit, it is likely to be that there is no net cost, but rather a potential for savings arising which would exceed the costs involved. In the case of this initial mailshot, some 4,500 were returned to the Department of Social and Family Affairs as the addressees were no longer resident at the listed address.”