Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 8 June 2016
320. Deputy Frank O'Rourke asked the Minister for Social Protection the cost of extending child benefit to the estimated 37,300 pupils who are due to sit the leaving certificate for the first time in 2016 and are aged 18 to 20 years of age, as revealed in information received through a reply to Parliamentary Question No. 346 of 31 May 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14683/16]
View answerParliamentary Question Number 346 of 31 May 2016 provided an estimate by my colleague, the Minister for Education and Skills, Richard Bruton TD, of the number of students between 18 and 20 years of age sitting the Leaving Certificate for the first time in 2016. It predicted that 36,600 of such Leaving Certificate candidates and 1,300 of such Leaving Certificate Applied candidates (or 37,900 in total).
The full year cost of extending child benefit payments to an additional 37,900 Leaving Certificate students aged 18 to 20 inclusive is estimated at €63.7 million in a full year. It should be noted that this represents the maximum cost as some students would not turn 18 until later in the year, and as such, they would already be eligible for child benefit payments for some of the Leaving Certificate school year. It is understood that the age breakdown of students enrolled for the Leaving Certificate in 2016 will be published at the end of this month by the Department of Education and Skills. This would enable a more detailed costing to be carried out.
