ESRI: Second tier of child benefit would lift 40,000 children out of poverty

There is currently an estimated 170,000 children in Ireland living below the poverty line.

The introduction of a second tier of child benefit has the potential to take more than 40,000 children out of poverty, the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) estimates.

The introduction of this reform, recommended by the Commission on Taxation and Welfare, the National Economic and Social Council, and the Children's Rights Alliance among others, would cost around €700m per year.