Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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524. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he is aware that where separated couples have shared custody arrangements only one parent is entitled to child specific payments (children's allowance, qualified child payment etc); if he has considered splitting these payments so that both co-parents can benefit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15718/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Child Benefit is a universal 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 until their 19th birthday where they are in full-time education or have a disability. As a universal payment, Child Benefit assists parents with the cost associated with raising children and contributes towards alleviating child poverty.

Child Benefit is paid to the person with whom the qualifying children normally resides. The payment is based on the rules of residency which state that, where a qualified child resides with his or her mother, the child is deemed to be resident with the mother and with no other person. In effect, the mother is the qualified person to receive the benefit in respect of that child. This applies even where the child’s father also resides in same household.

In cases where the parents are living apart and have an equal custody arrangement, individual payments follow the rules of the scheme concerned. In the case of Child Benefit, the payment is awarded to the mother as the mother is deemed to be the qualified person to receive this payment under social welfare legislation.

People in receipt of certain payments from my Department may get a Child Support Payment in addition to their weekly personal rate, subject to certain conditions. A Child Support Payment is payable in respect of each qualified child who normally resides with the customer. Only one increase is paid in respect of each qualified child.

In the case of separated parents, the child shall be considered normally resident with the parent who has custody, provided that the parent is making significant contributions to the child's upkeep. Where a child is the subject of a joint custody arrangement and lives with both parents part-time, their normal residence is considered to be with the parent they spend most time with.

There are no plans to introduce split payments at present. The Department regularly reviews all of its schemes in order to ensure that they are still delivering on their policy aims and objectives.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.