Written answers

Tuesday, 10 July 2018

Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection

Child Benefit Data

Photo of Anne RabbitteAnne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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855. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated additional cost of providing child benefit for young persons that are over 18 years of age for the duration of their enrolment in second level education. [31042/18]

Photo of Anne RabbitteAnne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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856. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated additional cost of providing a 25% payment and a 50% payment of child benefit to young persons that are over 18 years of age for the duration of their enrolment in second level education. [31043/18]

Photo of Regina DohertyRegina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 855 and 856 together.

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 more than 631,000 families in respect of over 1.2 million children, with an estimated expenditure of more than €2 billion in 2018.

Based on Department of Education and Skills figures on the numbers of 18 and 19 year olds in full-time secondary education in 2017, the estimated annual cost of extending the upper age limit to include 18 and 19 year olds in full-time secondary education alone is in the region of €65 million. The estimated cost of providing a 25 percent and 50 percent payment of child benefit based on the cost above is €16.25m and €32.5m respectively.

The Deputy’s question indicates no upper age limit and would therefore also include young people of 20 years and above, thus giving rise to costs in excess of this figure.

Given the universal nature of Child Benefit, making it payable in respect of young people over 18 years of age for the duration of their enrolment in second-level education would not be a targeted approach. Any adjustment to the payment can result in benefits being spread very thinly, rather than making a difference where there is most need.

Under EU regulations Child Benefit is defined as a family benefit and is exportable in cases where the claimant is working in Ireland but where the children are living abroad. We have no way of predicting with any degree of accuracy the potential in-flow in this category for young people who turn 18 and remain in second level education in other Member States.

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