Parents can arrange to stop child benefits

The Department of Social Protection has confirmed that any parent who feels they don't need child benefit can arrange to have the payment stopped.

It follows media reports that Minister Joan Burton's department was looking at ways of reducing the €2bn euro it spends annually on child benefit.

The department says the provision already exists for parents to opt out of receiving child benefit.

At the moment, every family with children is entitled to the payment, which starts at €140 a month for the first two children, and increases for subsequent children.

Philip McCabe, development manager with the Citizens Information Service, says they have had queries about how to stop child benefit, but it's not clear how many people have gone through with it: "We would have had people coming in, asking how can they stop this.

"It raises its head every so often. All people have to do is write to the department that they no longer want child benefits.

"The department says if people write to them saying they no longer want child benefits, they will honour it. How many people do that though? I have no idea."