Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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441. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full-year cost in 2017 of increasing the qualified child increase by €2, €3 and €5, and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22357/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The estimated full year cost in 2017 of increasing the qualified child increase by €2.00, €3.00, and €5.00 per week is €39.5 million, €59.3 million and €98.8 million respectively. These costings include the cost of increasing the back to work family dividend (BtWFD) by the same respective weekly increase. The rates of the BtWFD payment are currently equivalent to the full and half rates of the qualified child increase.

These costs are on a full year basis and assume that, where relevant, each increase is implemented from the beginning of January. It should be noted that these costings relate to 2017 and are subject to change over the coming months in the context of emerging trends and associated revision of the estimated numbers of recipients for 2017.