Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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1373. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated first-year and full-year cost of two double monthly child benefit payments. [45874/25]

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.

Child Benefit is paid at a rate of €140 per month, per qualified child. It is paid at a rate of €210 per month in the case of twins, and €280 per month for triplets and other multiple births.

In July of this year, Child Benefit was paid to some 678,417 recipients in respect of 1,269,142 children. Assuming that each of these beneficiaries is a single birth, the estimated first year and full-year cost of two double monthly Child Benefit payments would be approximately €355m.