Plan outlining proposal to cut child benefit to be discussed this month

As it stands, EU citizens working in Ireland are currently entitled to receive child benefit payments even if their offspring live in a different country - a measure which sees the State pay out approximately €1.1 million in respect to 8,100 non-resident children on a monthly basis.

However, this may soon be subject to change following the publication of a plan by the European Council President Donald Tusk yesterday.

The plan, which is still in its draft stages, outlines the government's entitlement to correlate a child benefit payment with the cost of living in other EU countries, and highlights the disparity which exists between certain countries benefit payments.

According to the Irish Independent, the State welcomes the proposals, however a Government spokesperson has acknowledged that the plan needs further further analysis on account of its "complex and detailed" nature.

The proposal, which must be approved by all 28 EU countries, will be discussed at an EU summit due to be held later this month.

It is understood that the proposal is just one facet of a settlement put forward by Mr. Tusk.