Karl Chircop, MLP spokesman for social protection, said the government has decided to pay the children’s allowance due in one lump sum for the first time, to those earning more than Lm10,270. Those on a lower income will get their allowance in four payments.

This was a totally discriminatory way of administering social benefits, Dr Chircop said. Classification was being based on the income of those receiving the benefit. He recalled that it had been a Labour government that had introduced children’s allowances for all children, and it was the Nationalist government which introduced a means test for it.

The fact that the Nationalist government was now reintroducing the allowance for all children was an admission of the mistake it had made.