Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 27 May 1998

Vol. 491 No. 4

Written Answers. - Child Dependant Allowance.

John Browne

Ceist:

88 Mr. Browne (Carlow/Kilkenny) asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the plans, if any, he has to update the regulation whereby full-time students over 18 years of age do not qualify for dependant allowance on their parents' disability benefit. [12398/98]

Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs (Mr. D. Ahern)

Child dependant allowances are payable in respect of all children up to the age of 18 years. The allowances continue to be payable where children are in full-time education up to the age of 22 years, or up to the end of the academic year after the 22nd birthday, provided that the claimant is in receipt of a long-term social welfare payment.

The favourable treatment of people on long-term payments — such as pensions — is in recognition of the fact that families with children on long-term payments face a higher risk of poverty. These arrangements do not apply to short-term payments such as disability benefit, unemployment benefit, short-term unemployment assistance and supplementary welfare allowance. I have no plans at present to extend these arrangements to people on short-term payments. Any such extension would, of course, have financial implications and would have to be considered in a budgetary context in the light of other priorities.

The thrust of child income support policy in recent years has been to target resources towards providing increases in child benefit, as part of a strategy aimed at ensuring that child income support is more neutralvis-à-vis the employment status of the parents. Child benefit remains one of our more effective means of tackling poverty, as it channels resources directly to families most in need. It is of particular importance to families on low incomes.

In this regard, the Deputy will be aware that the child benefit scheme will be further enhanced with effect from September of this year. The payment will be increased by £1.50 per child per month for the first two children and by £3 per child for the third and subsequent children, thus bringing the lower rate up to £31.50 and the higher rate up to £42. In addition a special supplementary payment in respect of twins will be introduced.