Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 397: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the reason a person (details supplied) is not entitled to medical appliance benefit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20108/10]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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The person concerned made a claim for medical appliance benefit under his own PPS Number. As he does not have sufficient reckonable PRSI contributions in his own right, his claim was rejected. Based on the PRSI qualifying conditions alone, he may still be eligible under the Dependent Spouse scheme. However, there are also other (i.e. non-PRSI) conditions which must be met before payment can issue. As it is not clear from his original application that these conditions are met, the Department will contact him for further information in order to establish his eligibility for payment.

Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 398: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the assistance that is available to young persons who turn 18 years of age and who are still in full-time education but who have had the child benefit payment discontinued to them due to recent budget statements; and if he will outline the proposals he will make to assist such young persons; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20129/10]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Child Benefit assists parents in the cost associated with raising children and it contributes towards alleviating child poverty. Between 2000 and 2009, overall expenditure on Child Benefit grew from just €638 million to approximately €2.5 billion per year. However, with tax revenues having fallen dramatically, we cannot afford to maintain spending at this level.

It was decided in Budget 2009 to limit spending on Child Benefit by lowering the upper age limit that currently applies from 19 years to 18 years. The impact of this measure was phased in, with payment for existing children being halved from January 2009 and payment stopping from the 18th birthday from January 2010.

Budget 2009 provided for a compensatory payment of €15 to be made to people receiving a social welfare payment which included an increase in respect of an 18 year old child or a Family Income Supplement payment which includes payment in respect of that child.

In recognition of the need to target limited available resources at persons on low incomes with children in full-time education a number of provisions have been introduced including:

· The extension of entitlement to Increase for Qualified Child, payable to social welfare recipients in respect of qualifying child dependants, to age 22 where the parent of a full-time student (including third level) is in receipt of either:

- A long-term social welfare payment, or

- A short-term social welfare payment for six months or more (short-term schemes include such payments as Jobseeker's Benefit and Assistance,

Illness Benefit and Supplementary Welfare Allowance), and

· The provision of a weekly payment to low paid employees with families, through the Family Income Supplement (FIS) scheme. Under this scheme, a qualified child is any child under the age of 18 or aged 18 to 22 in full-time education. This supplement is paid where a family's weekly income is below a specified amount for the family size, and is calculated at 60% of the difference between the net family income (i.e. gross pay less tax, PRSI, health contribution, superannuation) and the relevant income limit.

Low income families may also be entitled to a Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance, which is administered by the Health Service Executive and operates from the beginning of June to the end of September each year.