John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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867. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of extending child benefit beyond 18 years of age for those in full-time education. [30333/18]

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

It is not possible to give the full-year estimated cost of extending child benefit to all those in full-time education who are over 18 years of age because of the open ended nature of the question. 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 Deputy’s question, which seems to include people over 18 in third-level education, and indicates no upper limit as to age, would therefore give rise to costs substantially in excess of, and multiples of, this figure.

The student grant scheme, SUSI, is the main financial support for students in third-level education. There is detailed information on the range of grants and funds for students in further and higher education on the websiteincluding the Student Assistance Fund.

Given the universal nature of Child Benefit, making it payable to persons in respect of children who are 18 years of age, or older people in full-time 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 children who turn 18 and remain in education in other Member States.