Written answers

Wednesday, 26 July 2017

Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection

Child Benefit Expenditure

Photo of Bríd SmithBríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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1566. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the amount it would cost to increase children's allowance by €47 for children over the age of 12. [36404/17]

Photo of Regina DohertyRegina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Child Benefit is a monthly payment made to families with children in respect of all qualified children up to the age of 16 years. The payment continues to be paid in respect of children up to their 18th birthday who are in full-time education, or who have a disability. Child Benefit is currently paid to around 626,362 families in respect of over 1.2 million children, with an estimated expenditure of over €2 billion in 2017.

Budget 2009 reduced the age for eligibility for Child Benefit from 19 years to less than 18 years. A value for money review of child income supports, published by the Department of Social Protection in 2010, found that the participation pattern of children in education supports the current age limit for Child Benefit.

The estimated annual amount it would cost to increase Child Benefit by €47 for children over the age of 12 would be in the region of €210 million.

Families on low incomes can already avail of a number of provisions to social welfare schemes that support children in full-time education until the age of 22, including:

- Increase for a Qualified Child (IQCs) with primary social welfare payments;

- Family Income Supplement (FIS) for low-paid employees with children;

- The Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance for low income families (paid at the full-time second level education rate).

These schemes provide targeted assistance that is directly linked with household income and thereby support low-income families with older children participating in full-time education.

Given the universal nature of Child Benefit increasing Child Benefit by €47 for children over the age of 12 would not be a targeted approach. Any decision to would have to be considered in the overall budgetary and policy context.

Photo of Bríd SmithBríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

1567. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the amount it would cost to restore children's allowance to all those under 20 years of age that are still in full-time education. [36405/17]

Photo of Regina DohertyRegina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Child Benefit is a monthly payment made to families with children in respect of all qualified children up to the age of 16 years. The payment continues to be paid in respect of children up to their 18th birthday who are in full-time education, or who have a disability. Child Benefit is currently paid to around 626,362 families in respect of over 1.2 million children, with an estimated expenditure of over €2 billion in 2017.

Budget 2009 reduced the age for eligibility for Child Benefit from 19 years to less than 18 years. A value for money review of child income supports, published by the Department of Social Protection in 2010, found that the participation pattern of children in education supports the current age limit for Child Benefit.

It is not possible to estimate the annual costs of restoring Child Benefit to all those under 20 years of age that are still in full time education as the Department does not have the necessary data available to estimate with any degree of accuracy the Deputy’s proposal.

Families on low incomes can already avail of a number of provisions to social welfare schemes that support children in full-time education until the age of 22, including:

- Increase for a Qualified Child (IQCs) with primary social welfare payments;

- Family Income Supplement (FIS) for low-paid employees with children;

- The Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance for low income families (paid at the full-time second level education rate).

These schemes provide targeted assistance that is directly linked with household income and thereby support low-income families with older children participating in full-time education.

Finally, given the universal nature of Child Benefit restoring Child Benefit to all those under 20 years of age that are still in full time education would not be a targeted approach. Any decision to do so would have to be considered in the overall budgetary and policy context.

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