Dáil Éireann Debate, Friday - 6 September 2019
1781. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated annual extra cost that would be incurred if the age of eligibility for child benefit for those in full-time education was raised to 19 years of age; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34864/19]
View answerThe estimated annual cost that would incur in restoring the full rate of child benefit to age 19 is €99,503,040. This estimate is based on 59,228 recipients (derived from my Department's statistics on child benefit recipients). This costing represents the upper limit of what may be required. If the child benefit was restored to €70 (half the full rate) the costing is approximately €49,751,520 and if it was restored to €50 it would be €35,536,800.
