Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 9 June 2020
657. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if consideration has been given to extending the period within which child benefit can be paid up until the end of full-time education even if this means paying it for a child over 18 years of age; the estimated number of children such a decision would benefit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10007/20]
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 2020, to over 638,400 families in respect of over 1.2 million children with an estimated expenditure of more than €2 billion in 2019.
Enrolment data from the Department of Education and Skills and combined with data from my Department indicate that there were up to 25,901 students aged 17 and 18 in full-time secondary education at the start of the 2019/2020 academic year. Extending the payment in respect of full time students in second level education who are aged 18 and over would have significant cost implications and would have to be considered in an overall budgetary context.
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.
Further information on these schemes and other supports for families and children are available in a recently published guide on schemes and services produced by my Department for families and children and which is available via www.gov.ie .
