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Qualified Child Increase Payments

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 11 June 2013

Tuesday, 11 June 2013

Questions (445)

Mattie McGrath

Question:

445. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Social Protection in cases of joint custody arrangement where a child spends an equal amount of time with each parent, how her Department decides which parent will be paid the child dependant allowances; if child dependant allowances may be split between both parents where there is an official custody arrangement in place; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27536/13]

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Written answers

Qualified child increases (QCIs) are paid as supplements to weekly social welfare benefit and assistance payments to reflect the need for greater incomes among benefit-dependent households with dependent children. Therefore, QCI payments do not of themselves constitute a specific social welfare scheme and entitlement to the appropriate primary adult payment must be established in the first instance. The estimated expenditure on QCI payments in 2013 is €694 million.

To qualify for payment of a QCI, the child in respect of whom the increase is claimed must be considered to be normally resident with the person who is claiming the primary payment. Where the child is resident part of the time with each parent the child is generally considered to be normally resident with the parent with whom the child resides most of the time.

Accordingly, the main principle underlying payment arrangements in the social protection system is that of the normal residence of the child rather than custody arrangements. Decisions around the well-being of the children is the priority consideration in the operation of the current payment arrangements and this is reflected in the fact that payment is given to a person with whom the child is normally resident rather than on the basis of formal custody arrangements. Payment arrangements including in joint custody cases do not normally provide for the splitting of the payment between parties but rather depend on residence arrangements.

If the Deputy wishes to have a particular case considered in further detail, he can arrange to have the details brought to the attention of my Department for consideration.

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