John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

144. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will consider extending the age limit for children to access their deceased parents' civil service pension beyond 21 years of age in order to complete a third-level course of education; if there is data on the number currently accessing the scheme; if his attention has been drawn to cases in which the funding ceases upon the child reaching 21 years of age yet still has to complete their third-level course; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14820/19]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Civil Service Spouses’ and Children’s Contributory Pension previously provided for payment of pension to children up to the age of 16 or up to their 21st birthday if they were in full time education. However, General Council Report No. 1324, adopted in December 1997, extended the period of payment for children in full time education up to age 22. This was on foot of a claim lodged by the staff side on the basis that 3rd level education and training was then the norm rather than the exception, and that in many cases children were still in full-time education at age 21.

While agreeing to the increase from age 21 to 22, the Official side noted that public service schemes, as a whole, offered terms that were more favourable than those available in the private sector. That view was generally supported by the Commission on Public Service Pensions in its final report (2000), which found that all public service schemes include spouses’ and children’s benefits, whereas this was not necessarily the case in the private sector. The Commission did not recommend any further extension in the upper age limits for payment of children's pensions.

In relation to the numbers of children accessing the scheme, I have been informed by Payroll Shared Service Centre, which administers the civil service scheme, that these are as follows:

As I have already noted, the granting of the pension up until the age of 22 is contingent on the child attending full-time education. 48 eligible recipients reached age 22 in 2018, and thus had their pensions ceased.

I have no plans to extend the payment of children’s pension for those in full time education beyond the point of their 22nd birthday. However, I would bring to the Deputy's attention that in the case of permanent physical or mental incapacity, a child's pension may be continued for life if the incapacity occurred when the child was under 16, or under 22 while in full-time education or training.