James Lawless
Question:77. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Social Protection to examine an issue (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16792/24]
View answerWednesday, 17 April 2024
Questions (77)
Written answers
Child Benefit is a monthly payment made to families with children up to the age of 16 years. Currently, the payment continues to be paid in respect of children until their 18th birthday where they are in full-time education, or have a disability.
In Budget 2024, the Government decided to extend the payment of Child Benefit to 18-year-olds who are in full-time education or have a disability. This was one of my key priorities in the Budget.
This is a significant change to the Child Benefit scheme. It requires technical and operational changes before implementation.
We had originally provided that the change would take effect from September this year. However, I am very pleased that we are now able to bring this important change in from an earlier date. The legislation required to do that was enacted last month. As a result, the measure will be brought in from May. In the region of 60,000 children are expected to benefit from this measure annually. The additional estimated cost of bringing the commencement date forward to May is €21.6 million.
In the case of a child who has already turned 18 and who is still in full-time education, Child Benefit will be payable again from May 2024 up to their 19th birthday, or until they leave full-time education, whichever is sooner. In the case of a child with a disability, Child Benefit will be payable again from May 2024 up to their 19th birthday. My Department has been contacting families who are required to provide documentation to ensure Child Benefit for eligible families can be resumed in May.
As the measure comes into effect from 1st May, where a child turns 18 in the meantime, there will be no payment for any intervening period up to May 2024, which is the usual approach for changes to the social welfare system that take effect from a future date.
I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.