Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for her response. This really was a cost-of-living budget. It was about targeting help towards people who most need it and also providing universal assistance. Every family throughout the country is struggling with the increase in the cost of living. It was good to hear the Minister talk about those low-income families who received the targeted support of the qualified child payment up to the age of 23 while in full-time education. A universal support measure could be to assist people during those few months when they may have an 18-year-old still in second level education. In particular I am thinking of the squeezed middle which would benefit from that. Will the Minister undertake some level of costings to see whether this may be possible to include in next year’s budget?

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