Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 27 May 2020
944. Deputy Joe O'Brien asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if consideration will be given to extending the eligibility for the child benefit scheme to persons over 18 years of age that will be in full-time education in September 2020 due to the disruption of the academic year due to Covid-19 (details supplied). [7421/20]
View answerChild benefit is a monthly payment made to families with children in respect of all qualified children up to the age of 16 years. The payment continues to be paid in respect of children until their 18th birthday who are in full-time education, or who have a disability. Child benefit is currently paid, as of end-March 2019, to over 638,160 families in respect of over 1.2 million children with an estimated expenditure of more than €2 billion in 2019.
Extending the payment in respect of full time students in second level education who are over 18 years of age would have significant cost implications and would have to be considered in an overall budgetary context.
My Department, in line with the overall Government response to this public health emergency, moved swiftly to put in place enhanced and new supports for existing customers and new customers who, as a result of COVID-19, are working reduced hours or who have lost their employment entirely – even if on a temporary basis.
Families on low incomes may be able to avail of a number of social welfare schemes that support children in full-time education until the age of 22, including:
- Increase for a Qualified Child (IQCs) paid with primary social welfare payments;
- the Working Family Payment for low-paid employees with children;
- the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance.
These schemes provide targeted assistance that is directly linked to household income and thereby support low-income families with older children participating in full-time education.
