Ciarán Ahern (Dublin South West, Labour)
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701. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to consider extending children’s allowance payments to a full year following the death of a child; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62860/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Child Benefit is a monthly payment made to families with children up to the age of 16 years. Currently, 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.

The death of a child is always a tragedy and the difficulties that parents and families experience as a result cannot be over-stated.

Whilst the Department is appreciative of the difficulties families face in such circumstances, currently there is no provision to pay Child Benefit after the death of a child. The Child Benefit payment ceases once the Department is notified of the death.

The Department recognises the need for a transition period during which people can grieve and plan for a life following the death of a family member. If a person is in receipt of a primary social welfare payment which includes a Child Support Payment and, tragically, that child dies, the Child Support Payment will continue for six weeks after the child's death.

Where appropriate, the Department also provides Additional Needs Payments as part of the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme, to help meet essential expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income or other personal and household resources.

An application can also be made under the scheme for assistance with funeral and burial expenses by the person who takes responsibility for those funeral arrangements, and where there is an inability to pay these costs, in part or in full, by the applicant and/or the family of the deceased person without causing hardship.

Both the Child Support Payment and Additional Needs Payment are targeted measures designed to assist customers experiencing financial difficulty. In contrast, Child Benefit is a universal payment which is not dependant on means or PRSI contributions.

The Department regularly reviews all of its schemes in order to ensure that they are still delivering on their policy aims and objectives. Any changes to Child Benefit would have to be considered in a wider policy and budgetary context.

I trust this clarifies the position for the deputy.