Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Given the costs to the taxpayer that are involved, I might look at the first part of the question first and the second part at a subsequent stage. I can certainly see how an anomaly might arise where a child in school turns 18 in sixth year and loses their child benefit, subsequently qualifies for a student grant when they get into college or a post-leaving certificate, PLC, course later that year and there is a gap in between where there is no financial support from the State. It is certainly something that I commit to examining between now and the budget but with the caveat of the obvious fact that there are potentially other areas of need that also have to be accounted for.

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